Amber and Chocolate
by Saira3612
Summary: New student Richie Taylor arrives at Forks High, bringing with him nothing but mystery. Living on the outskirts of town, the townsfolk are already suspicious of him...and once he defies the gifts of the Cullens, he even has the vampire family intrigued. Edward/OC. SLASH. AU.
1. Intriguing

_**Amber and Chocolate**_

_**Author's Notes: Alright, let's try this again. First off, I tried doing an Edward/OC slash fic before and I couldn't get past the first chapter. I got ideas, but they all stemmed from Bella never being around, or being completely nonexistant. So, to that end, I'm revamping my entire story, starting from Twilight itself. Once again, this will be Edward and a male version of Bella, but with my own little fun add-ons. Hope you guys enjoy!**_

_**Fandom: Twilight  
>Pairing: Primarily EdwardRichie, other couples are completely canon.**_  
><em><strong>Rating: M.<strong>_  
><em><strong>Summary: New student Richie Taylor arrives at Forks High, bringing with him nothing but mystery. Living on the outskirts of town, the townsfolk are already suspicious of him...and once he defies the gifts of the Cullens, he even has the vampire family intrigued.<strong>_

_**Prologue - Intriguing.**_

If there was something odd about someone they'd never seen before humming to himself as he walked into the halls of Forks High School on his first day, everyone made that clear by staring at him and giving him a wide berth as if he was some three-headed demon monster. It was just as well. Right now, he preferred to just be by himself and his own thoughts, being far too shy to actually say much of anything to any of them without coming off as stuttering moron, which given his actual intelligence, wasn't all that surprising.

But, given the fact that he moved here in July, and kept pretty much to himself also made the townsfolk wary of him. Especially when they were a seventeen year old high school student sophomore. Everyone jumped at the chance to finally get to know the 'recluse on the edge of the woods.'

It wasn't as if he was unaware of the nickname, far from it, actually. He'd heard people gossip and stare if he went into town for groceries, saying he was some sort of freaky drug pusher. Drug dealer. It was usually one or the other. Recluse on the edge of the woods was actually very tame compared to some of the other names he'd heard. He even liked it, mainly because he thought it was funny that it was true. And also because it would only serve to piss any haters off even more.

He was waiting until the day they found out he was gay, which would more than likely be this very day. Then, they'd more than likely start up some new rumor. Coming here to corrupt and turn their innocent children the way of the rainbow. he didn't want to cause any trouble, he'd had enough of that at home before...everything happened.

Humming the chorus of what he referred to as his 'lullaby', he ended up running smack into a wall...or what he thought of as a wall. it was then that he found out the 'wall' actually turned out to be a person. A tall person, a bout six feet tall, wearing a tight gray t-shirt, black jeans, and had messy bronze hair that stuck up but was styled, making him look like he just rolled out of bed. "D'oh! Uh, s-sorry about that..." Already, he was stuttering. Perfect.

Tall bronze haired guy just tilted his head a bit, his brow crinkling in confusion, before seeming to come out of a stupor. "No big deal. No damage done."

Already convinced he was being labelled as a freak, he felt himself turning pink, something that would be easily spotted under his normally pale skin. "Good..." His voice came out quiet, so quiet he almost thought this guy missed it, but from his nod, it was clear he'd heard it, though the frown was still present between his eyebrows. No big deal. Probably wondering who the heck the gay weirdo who bumped into him was. It wasn't anything new, or unusual. There was a reason he preferred the quiet solitude of libraries, his own room, a book, music, or a game.

As he continued on his path toward the administrations office and getting lost twice, he never looked back, never really looked around. If he had, he might've seen the bronze-haired guy he'd run into watching his every move when they passed by each other twice more.


	2. Who Is He?

_**Chapter 1 - Who Is He?**_

**Author's Notes: I haven't forgotten about Safe in the Arms of Love, just so anyone knows that. I'm just experiencing a severe case of writer's block as far as that story goes, and this one's been clamoring to get out, so this is the one I'm working on for awhile now. Don't worry, updates will occur on both of them! I own nothing but the mistakes, storyline, and Richie!  
><strong>

_Thoughts are in italics._

**_Text messages are in bold and in italics._**

Sitting in his Algebra class, new student Richie Taylor shifted uncomfortably in the plastic seat looking like he was paying attention, with his left hand supporting his face. Really, one earbud to an iPod threaded through the sleeve of his hooded sweatshirt and stuck into his ear, making him pay more attention to Demi Lovato singing Fix a Heart than anything else. Not the teacher. Not the three students sitting in front of him and gossiping like he was some sort of freak, turning to stare at him as if he was the Devil incarnate. Not even the pair of amber eyes focused on him, and a knowing little grin forming on the petite girl's mouth.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"He likes Demi Lovato. And his humming is cute, too. ;)"<strong>_

In Biology, a second pair of amber eyes rolled, this time they were ones belonging to the tall, lanky, bedroom-haired guy he'd run into. He'd taken this class at different school for many years as a vampire, and as a result, learned everything the teacher had to offer. It wasn't like he didn't know when the teacher would call on him. Or what question she was asking, anyway.

_**"Alice, you know that I meant when I said to find out about him."**_

It was true. She was just being coy like she usually did when she knew something she wouldn't let anyone else in the family in on. Except this time, it involved him directly. And the younger male he'd bumped into earlier today. The one he couldn't get a read on in any way, shape, or form. And that fact alone set him on edge, because no one around him was immune to him. No one he knew was immune to him.

Except another supernatural being.

* * *

><p>Alice just shook her head at the text she received from her youngest brother. Edward was moodier than usual, it seemed. Of course, she couldn't really blame him. Finding out someone is immune to your gift is quite frustrating. Knowing nothing about them make it even worse, because then the question of if they were an enemy or a friend comes into play. The thing was, she had a vision of him before he'd even gotten into school, about two weeks ago. No one knew why he'd just suddenly appeared to her, why someone none of them had ever met had been featured in a vision.<p>

And then she had another one. One that she intentionally kept to herself, because it was something that was entirely endearing her to the new male student. And something that would put him into the orbit of the Cullens without a doubt. Chancing another look up at said new student, Richie Taylor his name was, she saw he was still looking disinterested in the Math class. Of course, that was about to change...

* * *

><p>Edward just growled in frustration and ran a hand through his messy bronze hair, seeing Alice read his text message, but not respond to it. He was bothered, to say the least, about this new boy. He'd heard a new student was transferring today, something that was inconsequential to the amber-eyed man. Forks High School had had it's fair share of new students, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There was no reason for him to spend any extra energy worrying over a new student.<p>

He'd arrived at school with his family like any other day, nothing out of the ordinary. Except that he felt...off. It was just a feeling, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Or the reason behind it, and as the morning progressed into homeroom, the feeling only got stronger.

And then he ended up running into someone he'd never seen before. Or heard speak before. And that's when it all went straight to hell. Because when he went to read the new student's thoughts, he got nothing but silence.

The feelings in the pit of his stomach only got worse from that moment forward. So much so that he was looking forward to next period: lunch.

Just so he could get a chance to sit down with Alice and try to force any sort of information about the new boy from her. Because, at this rate, he'd go mad.

* * *

><p>Demi Lovato was in the middle of Fire Starter when Richie felt a tap on his shoulder, which brought him crashing back to Earth in a ball of fire. Because he jumped out of his chair like he'd been shocked. Removing the earbud, he turned around, being met with the too-wide grin of a short girl with brown hair framing her face. He'd seen her before, she'd just walked up to him like she'd known him for years, making him tune her out, because he needed to get to class, and he couldn't do that with her hanging on him. And, to his part, she didn't even seem to notice his jumpy behavior. Or just didn't care.<p>

"So, your name's Richie, right?"

He blinked twice, because he didn't think anyone around here actually knew his name...other than 'recluse', 'freak', or some variation of it. "Yeah. And yours is?"

She looked crestfallen for just a moment, over the fact that he couldn't remember her name. "Jessica. Nice to meet you!"

Richie just smiled in return, because he took a moment to look the girl over. Too-wide grin, top smaller than necessary, gossipy, probably only talking to him because he was new...

_Typical gossip queen._

As if he'd said the most interesting thing with just that smile, Jessica leaned forward, pushing out her cleavage with what she assumed was a suggestive smile. Too bad she was too dense to realize the boy in front of her wasn't into girls.

"I like your smile, Richie. Care to tell me where you're from...?" Her voice was quiet, almost like she was really interested in what he had to say, when really, she was interested in something else...

Richie counted to about five (and used every ounce of self-control not to roll his eyes at the question, or suggestive edge to it) before he responded. "Pennsylvania."

He intoned with no interest, but she ate it up like a dog with a bone. "The other side of the country?" She bit her lip and giggled, probably trying to be coy. "How..._exotic_."

_Really? How in the HELL is the other side of the country supposed to be exotic?!_ Though his thoughts were saying something entirely different, Richie's face belied none of his annoyance. "If you think so..."

"Well, _anywhere's_ better than this place." Her obvious distaste with the town she lived in was almost palpable. "I can't _stand_ it here."

Richie's opinion was vastly different, and he was going to voice it. If only to annoy her. "Well, I kind of like it here. It's quiet, close-knit, and maybe when you're accepted, you'll be one of them."

Jessica, gossip queen that she was, realized that he'd taken his own opinion instead of just agreeing with her. And, after quick pause, she reserved a look of disdain for conversations centered around the small town she resided in. "I guess so. But, trust me. After you've been here for awhile, the spark definitely dims out and goes away."

Anything the new boy was going to comment back fell out of his head the moment the bell rang, and he turned around to grab his things, eager to get away from the annoying girl. But, she was already next to his desk, by some force of...who knew what.

"Did you wanna have lunch with me and my friends, Richie?"

That annoyingly cheerful voice, sounding just so eager, so hopeful, just so she could see if he'd spill something 'gossip-worthy' that she could tell the rest of her fellow social butterflies made him immediately want to say no. Tell her to fuck off and leave. Unfortunately, he was far too nice to do such a thing without a proper reason to, so he felt forced to concede. After all, he hardly knew anyone else in this school and couldn't go and sit with anyone else.

"Sure. Sounds wonderful."

He was unaware of a short, amber-eyed woman walking by the two of them on her way out the door, thinking that it would be just that.


	3. Smackdown

_**Chapter 2 - Smackdown.**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, and Richie.**_

Edward had yet to catch the sight of the famed new boy all day. Other than the quick glimpse he'd gotten when trying to read his thoughts after they'd bumped into each other, he hadn't seen him at all. And it was just as frustrating as the feelings of...whatever it was...in the pit of his stomach. He was the reason for it, it was the only explanation. After all, he was the only new thing going on in this, otherwise, boring town.

"You'll see him soon enough, Edward."

The bronze-haired man turned around at the sudden appearance of his sister, surprised Alice knew exactly what he'd been thinking about. Though, instead of asking just HOW she knew that, he instead focused on something else. "What did you find out?"

She laughed lightly, the sound like wind chimes like it usually was when she was happy. "Not telling!"

Her mind immediately became filled with the lesson from Math class they were learning, and Edward didn't bother to stay in her mind to hear it. After all, he already knew it, as it was.

This day was shaping up to be one of the most annoying and maddening ones he'd experienced in his existence. Ever.

* * *

><p>Richie looked don at the tray of food in front of him in utter boredom. He wasn't entirely sure he could identify what was in it if he were asked, despite the fact that he liked to cook, but he'd most certainly be more than willing to give it a shot. Mainly because it would be a very nice distraction from the inane chatter going on around him. Jessica was babbling with some girl nearby, her hair so pale that it might as well have been white against her over-tanned skin, all the while glancing over at him to see if he was looking in her direction, only succeeding in disappointing herself each and every time. The others around talked about equally uninteresting things, three guys were in the midst of a belching contest, another girl was busily applying makeup, and a final girl, bless her, was trying to get some studying in while listening to an iPod.<p>

Out of all of them, she appeared to be the one he'd get along with. But, he was also far too shy to actually approach her in the hopes of doing so, being complete strangers. Plus, he was also far too polite to take her away from her work. The minutes crawled by, seeming to blend into hours, as Richie stared off into space, trying to block out Jessica's childish remarks, each one getting more and more idiotic as time went by. When it came to the word 'airhead', Richie was almost certain if he looked it up, he'd find a picture of Jessica's face as a reference point.

The feeling of something cold sloshing against the side of his face jolted him back into reality, and he, like everyone else at the table turned to look at what had just happened, as Jessica screeched out loudly, "I am not!"

This time, Richie didn't bother trying to fight the urge to roll his eyes behind his glasses. Jessica's outburst, as well as throwing the rest of her smoothie onto the young man two seats over from him, had gathered most of the other tables' attention. Which, more than likely, is exactly the type of thing she wanted, because she appeared to be basking in the attention. A small smile came to the boy's face as he imagined just what the young man had called her to garner such a reaction. After all...there were _so many_ adjectives that fit...

His smile vanished instantly when she got up, simply leaving her tray behind and telling Tyler (THAT was his name) that he could get it when he was done being an insensitive clod. Her destination? The empty seat right next to his. Wonderful.

And, of course, the scowl on his face an agreement to anything that had just happened to her. "I know. He's _so_ annoying, isn't he?"

Richie just sighed at her, and how clueless she was. "Sure, Jessica."

A few moments of silence passed between the two of them, with Jessica staring at Richie like he was some science experiment, and with him staring at a point on the other side of the cafeteria, not really seeing what was actually there. After all, it was a window.

"Are you looking at _them_?!"

A reply fell from his lips before he really even though it through. "What do you-?"

Before he could finish, there was a flip of long golden hair at the table his eyes had rested near, and his eyes followed the motion, bringing the five people sitting there into focus. "Whoa..."

Because the image of the five people sitting at that table gave Richie a shock for the first time in months, but this time, it was a good kind of shock. Pale skin that was flawless, not a blemish or wrinkle. Harsh amber eyes. And exquisite good looks that made that far more beautiful than anyone he'd ever seen before. But, just what was it that gave them that flawless beauty?

"The Cullens." Once again, before he could ponder his train of thought any longer, Jessica's voice pulled him back to reality. "They get 'wow' and 'whoa' a lot."

Richie could tell she wasn't at all fine with talking about these glorious creatures. So, being the mischievous little gay he was, he continued on with it. "The blonde girl's gorgeous, and so are her shoes. What's her name?"

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest with a derisive snort. "Rosalie Hale. The other blond guy is her brother, Jasper Hale."

Looking over at the girl in question, Richie could have sworn he saw the slightest of smiles appear on her face at both his compliment and at Jessica's obvious disdain. Though, she had yet to look over at them. So, how did he know she was smiling?

_Oh no...not again..._

Luckily...and thankfully...he was one again distracted by his thoughts by Jessica, going on about the others. "The really big guy is Emmett, the short pixie is Alice, and the bronze-haired guy who just rolled out of bed with a lucky lay is Edward." He didn't comment that he noticed she left the biggest, and most verbal, description for Edward.

Who was the guy he ran into when he first came in. The one who stared at him with a wrinkle between his eyebrows like he was some sort of oddity.

And when he didn't respond again, Jessica simply went on to another point. "They're also all _together_, though. _Gross_, right?"

This time, Richie's attention was pulled away from the beautiful family across the room, to raise an eyebrow at a giddy-looking Jessica. Because it seemed that she didn't mind discussing the Cullens if she thought she could get him and his attention away from them.

Fortunately, being gay had come with it's advantages. Including, a respect for how others found love, and with whom. "And that's gross...how?"

The gossip queen smiled, sure she would finally snare the new boy's attention away from them, before switching to a look of small-town condemnation. "They're all adopted siblings. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted them all from someone."

Once again, Richie's attention was focused on the Cullens. He was almost sure they were all actually listening in on their conversation, because they were tensing up at the mention of their parents. "All of them?"

Jessica sneered over at the Cullens' table. "Yeah. Apparently, their mom Esme, can't have any children of her own." She said it with a simper, even as she turned back to him.

It took a few moments for that sentence to sink in, and when it did, Richie looked back at Jessica in utter disbelief.

"That makes you _smile_?!" The words were out of his mouth before he even realized it, seeing red behind his eyes. "A woman can never have a child of her own and you have the _gall to smile about it_?"

The nearby tables turned to watch the unfolding drama, because Jessica's table was prone to it's outbursts, what with her sitting there. But, someone going off on her was rare in and of itself, for it was usually the other way around, and for the person going off on her to be the new kid no one knew about, well...it was better than cable. Out of the side of his vision, Richie noticed that he even garnered the attention of the entire family he was defending, but he was far too annoyed to even really have that fact sink in.

"Anyone willing to take in one child is a caring, selfless human being. Anyone willing to take in five is a _saint_, especially when others throw theirs out for pointless reasons, like being gay! Which by the way, so you can stop hitting on me, I am! I'm also a virgin, having morals, standards, and wanting my first time, _with a guy_, to be special!" He stood up from his chair, glaring down at the shell-shocked girl gaping up at him. "Something that _you_ would clearly know nothing about, since you've spent the entire time you've spent talking to me dissing someone else or trying to flirt with me when I'm _clearly not interested_. And you know what? There's this amazing thing called _thinking before you speak_. Maybe you should try and start doing that so you don't come off as an uncaring gossip whore who spouts shit about other people and doesn't give a damn of who she hurts? I'd like to tell you to shove your judgement, but it would be worth it. You'd like it too much."

Someone gasped out loud, and others started to roar with laughter, but Richie's sense were deadened to that. He didn't even process the outright unheard of sight of all the Cullens smiling from their table. Breathing shallowly, before he threatened to let his emotions get the better of him then they already had, he turned and left the crowded cafeteria, for a moment feeling like a model on a runway.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the cafeteria, Alice's grin pulled even wider, though it seemed a near-impossible feat, given just how wide it already was.<p>

"I _adore_ him already!"


	4. A Gloriously, Intriguing Monster

**_Chapter 3 - A Gloriously, Intriguing Monster._**

**_Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, and Richie._**

_Thoughts are in italics._

The lunch bell finally rang, freeing the bronze-haired vampire from yet another endless-seeming period of discomfort. It wasn't like how he usually felt. Certainly, he was bored, mainly because he already knew everything the teachers had to offer, but he'd never been actively uncomfortable as he was today. And it stemmed from the young human male he'd run into earlier today. The one he couldn't get a read on. And the very one Alice was being deceptively coy about in bestowing information on him. He hurried into the cafeteria, wondering if any of his other siblings had felt so off about this boy than he did. And a rush through the lunch line brought him to his usual table with his family, Alice still giving them all that mysterious smile.

And, because of it, Emmett was the first to speak. "Alright, Alice. What's with all the smiles?"

The smallest vampire simply grinned wider, laughing her tinkling laugh. "You'll see!"

Emmett frowned, much like Edward did, but Alice simply turned her attention out the window, content to say nothing.

Not even bothering to peek into her thoughts, for he would find some other roadblock that would drive him madder than he already was, Edward cast a quick eye over the crowded cafeteria. Though, nothing and no one seemed out of place. Finally losing the vestiges of his patience, he turned to his siblings and asked the question he'd wanted to all day.

"Have any of you felt at all...odd?"

Immediately, Jasper raised a curious eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

He knew he would get asked that question, he knew it. Yet, trying to voice an answer to it became difficult. "Like something's..._off_. Different about today. Something unusual."

This time, Emmett was the one to nod. "Yeah, something feels different. But, it's probably just that new kid, whoever he is."

Edward frowned slightly, feeling that it was a lot more complicated than that. "But, we've had new kids before. And it's never felt quite like this."

Rosalie simply shrugged. "Who cares? It's not like one more human is going to change anything."

* * *

><p>"I am not!"<p>

Edward instinctively rolled his eyes, as did the rest of the members of his family, save for Alice, who was still staring out the window. It was, as usual, Jessica Stanley, doing something to capture attention for herself. Which is the exact reason why no one even bothered to look over at her, instead continuing to move their own conversations forward.

That is, until he picked up a snippet that was undoubtedly about his family.

"Are you looking at them?"

Edward glanced over out of the corner of his eyes, enough that it would look like he was still facing forward to someone so far away. He nearly whipped his head over in shock at who he saw.

_Holy **shit**!_

It was _him_.

An adorable face, framed by dark chocolate hair swept down to close to his left eye, the irises of both the color of milk chocolate, hidden behind a simple pair of brown glasses, though the disinterest in them over Jessica wasn't difficult to read. Edward felt something in his stomach stir slightly, because he was more beautiful than he remembered. And he wasn't even a vampire. He immediately looked away, seeing those brown eyes coming back into focus. After all, he couldn't let this little mystery boy know he was looking.

"The Cullens."

Edward glanced over at Alice, who was still smiling happily, before looking at the rest of his family, taking note that Rosalie had taken that moment to idly flip her hair over her shoulder. Certain this was a small ploy to get the other boy, Richie's, attention on them and that this was what Alice was so excited about, he listened closely to the conversation between the insipid girl and the new boy.

"Whoa..."

That, even that simple little exhalation, give Edward pause. When they first met, it was thrown over his shoulder, something in passing, and it felt odd. This was something directly related to him. To his family. And in that boy's voice there was more of a depth to it that intrigued him more than anyone else ever had. It made him want to find everything out about the boy. From the looks of the rest of his family, they shared a bit of the sentiment, pleased more than usual by the other male's sentiment. Because they could hear it was genuine.

_What is it about this kid?_

Desperately, he wanted to look over, see him directly, but also knew it would be odd. Instead, he chose to listen to his thoughts.

And completely forgot that he couldn't get to hear a word of them, making him growl in frustration.

"Yeah. They get 'wow' and 'whoa' a lot." _Not that **they** deserve it, since they don't do anything like **I** do for it!_

Jessica's thoughts came through as if she spoke them out loud. Why not his? The new boy was becoming more of a mystery by the second.

"The blonde girl's gorgeous, and so are her shoes. What's her name?" _Seriously? **Her?!**_

Edward glanced over, seeing the wide smile on Rosalie's face as she took in Richie's compliment and then looked over briefly, just long enough to see Jessica's obvious distress.

And that's when they all felt it. Slight, only for a few seconds, but powerful, a shift in the air. Like some sort of power had just been unleashed for the briefest of moments. A power no human could have. As one, save for Alice, the vampires tensed up, readying for this new development in the one who had just suddenly appeared to Alice two weeks ago. Cheerful and coy as ever, Alice just continue to look out the window, while four sets of amber eyes focused on the one sitting next to the annoying girl.

"The really big guy is Emmett, the short pixie is Alice, and the bronze-haired guy who just rolled out of bed with a lucky lay is Edward." There was a quiet snort from Alice, just to annoy Edward. Jessica made it no secret of a crush on Edward. Or how much she wanted in his pants.

"I can't get a read on him. No feelings at all." Jasper's voice was so low no human could hear it.

"He's not human." The stark observation came from Rosalie.

No, he wasn't. How ever he was blocking him and Jasper, and...whatever they had all just felt was enough to make that clear. But, if he wasn't human...then what could he be...?

Let's see if you find them all so interesting after this little bombshell, Richie.

At the boy's name in her malicious thoughts, Edward had to suddenly resist the almost uncontrollable urge to look over at him, instead choosing to silently listen to the gossip's "bombshell."

"They're all adopted siblings. Dr. Cullen and his wife adopted them all from someone."

At the mention of their parents, everyone tensed up, even Alice now. Why in the HELL was she talking about their parents?

"All of them?" The young boy didn't seem appalled or disgusted. He just seemed curious.

Edward didn't need to be able to hear her thoughts to know she was positively bursting at the seams, thinking this would be the tidbit to land her Richie's interest. "Yeah. Apparently, their mom Esme, can't have any children of her own." And at that, the amber-eyed, bronze-haired man scowled. _Who does she think she is, to talk about Esme, the stupid bitch?_ The growls each of his siblings emanated matched his mood perfectly, and their combined raging was so loud that Edward almost missed Richie's reply, but when it hit his ears, he turned to face the new boy in utter shock the rest of his family doing the same.

"That makes you _smile_?! A woman can never have a child of her own and you have the _gall to smile about it_?"

That feeling in Edward's stomach jerked again, making it feel like it was on a spin cycle. He briefly looked over at the rest of his family, but looked back when he realized the young boy wasn't finished.

"Anyone willing to take in _one_ child is a caring, selfless human being. Anyone willing to take in _five_ is a _saint_, especially when others throw theirs out for pointless reasons, like being gay! Which by the way, so you can stop hitting on me, I am! I'm also a virgin, having morals, standards, and wanting my first time, _with a guy_, to be special!"

Rosalie let a savage grin come to her face, as she watched the obnoxious girl get torn apart by the young boy. Edward followed suit not a second later, and he didn't have to look to know the rest of his family was following their lead.

"Something that _you_ would clearly know nothing about, since you've spent the entire time you've spent talking to me dissing someone else or trying to flirt with me when I'm _clearly not interested_. And you know what? There's this amazing thing called _thinking before you speak_. Maybe you should try and start doing that so you don't come off as an uncaring gossip whore who spouts shit about other people and doesn't give a damn of who she hurts? I'd like to tell you to shove your judgement, but it would be worth it. You'd like it too much."

Edward unabashedly smirked at the comment as he turned around to face his siblings, while Emmett was one of the ones who started roaring in laughter at the vulgar comment. Jasper simply looked proud of the young boy who had defended his mother whoever even knowing her. And Alice was grinning so wide that he face looked like it was going to split in half.

"I _adore_ him already!"

The vampire couldn't find it in him to disagree with that statement.

* * *

><p>Richie's giant emotional tidal wave slammed over him a few seconds after he left the cafeteria. And in it's wake, he felt like he was drowning as a single thought filtered through his head.<p>

_What the HELL did I just do?_

Leaning against the wall by the doors heavily, he pondered the fact that he just shot himself in the foot when it came to socialization here. No one who liked Jessica was going to bother to talk to him now, which left him with any other groups that might accept him, namely the outcasts. It seemed that even when no one knew of his past, though he'd given a glimpse of it in there during his tirade, Richie wasn't capable of doing the simple act of fitting in.

"Fuck. Fuuuck! _FUCK_!"

Apparently, that was the only word suited to venting his annoyance and frustration. What in the world had possessed him to defend that family? He didn't even know them! It wasn't like they had done something for him! Knowing his luck, they were planning to corner him somewhere and interrogate him on _why_ he'd done something like that in the first place. The only consolation he had was that his outburst had stemmed from Jessica's mother comment, not anything directly related to the Cullens. It had grated on his lack of one, and the fact that she had disowned him for his orientation.

The bell rang, startling him so much that he ended up dropping the lone notebook he had, since it was his first day, he was still short on his load of books for other class. Bending down to pick it up, he nearly fell over when he saw a pair of designer shoes attached to the thin legs of one Alice Cullen, looking like she'd been standing there the whole time as she held out his notebook.

His mouth was gaping, he knew it, yet he still tried to speak through the shock of seeing her next to him as he took the spiral-bound book back. "U-Uh... h-hello?" If he wouldn't have looked like more of an utter nutcase, he would've slapping himself across the face for such articulate conversation. _Really? Seventeen years on the planet and an aspiring English writer and **that's** the best you could come up with?_ To his surprise, the petite brunette in front of him only laughed lightly. Dimly, Richie noted that it sounded like chimes.

"Hi! I'm Alice." She greeted herself with a smile, tilting her head toward the cafeteria. "From lunch."

Richie struggled to think of what to say, panic in a situation like this rising fast. A minute ago he had just defended this girl's mother, even though he'd never spoken or met either of them before. What the heck does one say after something like that?

"Hi, Alice. Um...my name's R-Richie." _Names are always a good place to start. Thank you, self._

At the introduction, the petite girl's smile only stretched wider. "It's nice to meet you, Richie! Did you want to walk to class together? We both have the same one."

Her attitude and offer had been the opposite of Jessica. It had confused him, both offers did, honestly, but this one seemed genuine, not from simply thinking she held the key to his pants. This offer was innocent, kind. And Richie actually wanted to accept it. Which is why he did so, with a smile.

* * *

><p>"I wanted to thank you. For defending Esme like that." Alice told her companion, her tone far more serious than it was a moment ago, in World History, when they were discussing Demi Lovato's most recent album. Well, Richie was doing most of the talking, but Alice had comments of her own. Before that, it was shopping, and the roles were reversed, Alice talking mostly, while Richie was the one who commented when it was necessary. "It was really brave of you. And kind. Even though you don't know any of us at all."<p>

The boy only smiled back at her shyly, a light dusting of pink coating his cheeks, one that he had no idea she wished Edward could see. "Well, I figured since Jessica knows next to nothing, she was probably wrong about that, too." He shrugged, looking away from her entirely, almost bashfully, something she found to be entirely endearing. "Besides, anyone smart would have told her otherwise."

"You'd be surprised with us."

Richie turned back, his eyebrows knitting at the odd comment, but he chose to not question it, as Alice looped their arms together and asked him, "How do you like Forks so far, Richie?"

The young boy mulled it over for a few moments. While his words to Jessica were to simply disagree with her personal opinion, they were the truth. And he told Alice as much, too. "I like it. It's nice. Peaceful. And a welcome change."

A few steps later, Alice slowed down before coming to a stop, her gaze directed down the hallway. Following it, Richie noticed Edward was standing at her line of sight, recognizing him thanks to his height and his bedroom hair. "The first thing people seem to notice is that it's dark. Mysterious. Some might say a bit quiet." While he was still listening to Alice's words, Richie couldn't seem to tear his eyes off of Edward, therefore missing the smile Alice directed at him. She continued after a beat, knowing her words were having the desired effect on the boy. "But, once you get to know the place. You realize that it's actually breathtakingly beautiful."

Edward's brow furrowed slightly, once again adapting the look when he and Richie first met, and he looked up catching the gazes of his sister and the younger boy. Richie looked away immediately, embarrassed for having been caught staring, while Alice simply smiled wider as she held Edward's amber stare with her own. "You just have to know where to look."

The amber-eyed man found himself growling deep in the back of his throat before he could even think to stop it. Alice was being metaphoric, he knew that, because he'd been looking straight at the boy and still couldn't hear his thoughts. He'd been trying since lunch, and it was now last period, and he got nothing from him. Not a sentence, not a phrase, not even a word. He'd be driven to the brink of utter madness if he had to continue to go through this, because was somehow holding him away. He wasn't human, couldn't be. But, being unable to hear his thoughts made any sort of explanation as to what he could be impossible.

Alice raised a simple brow at him, and he entered her mine with no hesitation. If you're really so interested in him, and the look on your face as well as your actions say you are...then try talking to him. Get to know a person like the rest of us have to get to know someone.

Edward frowned at the idea, clearly uncomfortable with it. He hadn't had to deal with human interaction in longer than he cared to remember, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to.

But, then again, for the little brown-eyed bespectacled mystery standing by his sister, he was thinking about seriously giving it a shot.


	5. The House on the Outskirts

_**Chapter 4 - The House on the Outskirts.**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, and Richie. The song used in this chapter is Come Little Children by Eurtan (also known as katethegreat19), though with one lyrical fix.**_

_Thoughts and song lyrics are in italics._

Walking home from school, he reflected on his first day of school in Forks.

All in all, today was considered a very good day, at least in Richie's book. He got to take down a vicious gossip-worthy skank who wanted to get in his pants, and he...hopefully...made a friend in at least one of Cullens. Especially because in all that they talked about, Alice seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, aside from Jessica, who just seemed to be partially interested until she could stick her own views into it and turn the conversation around to herself. Alice and he traded banter back and forth, and it was difficult to be his usual shy self around her and her infectious personality.

Though, he wasn't ready to reveal _all_ parts about himself.

His gayness had been revealed as a result of his emotions getting control of him after Jessica ended up shooting off her big mouth. And no one seemed to be the wiser that he was living by himself, on his own, thanks to his parents disowning him for his sexual orientation. All things considered, his house wasn't all that big, being that his parents gave him the choice of continuing to live with them and going to get deprogrammed and forcibly turned straight or living in his homosexuality and receiving 5,000 dollars, the key to a house on the other side of the country, and never speaking to them again.

Three guesses as to which he chose, since he wasn't in Pennsylvania anymore.

He wasn't ready to tell Alice, Edward, or even much of anyone else in town the real reason why he was here. All they really knew was that he was from Pennsylvania. He was seventeen, and that was really it, though his orientation was likely to spread around the town like wildfire, since he doubted some of Jessica's friends couldn't keep a secret to save their lives. And that was before he ended up ripping her to shreds in front of the entire cafeteria for badmouthing the Cullens' mother.

With a sigh, he felt it start to rain, holding up his left hand to ascertain so. And he sighed just once more when he felt a light misting hitting his upturned palm. _I don't have the patience for this..._ In seconds, he clenched said upturned palm, and when he flattened it out, his palm was dry, as was the rest of him, like no rain was falling. Even though he could clearly see it still falling, even starting to fall heavier now that he took note of it.

He sighed lightly, content with the little bit of magic he'd done. Nothing big or huge, he most certainly wasn't strong enough for that, still only practicing the craft. He could heat things up, cool things over, move objects slightly, block his mind from outside forces, and he once made a truth serum back in Pennsylvania, before his parents found out he'd rather wake up to a man than a woman every day for the rest of his life.

Interesting how he lived with a family where being a wizard was completely and utterly normal, yet loving someone of the same sex is what got him thrown out.

He could still remember the day, at the age of fourteen, when he'd accidentally heated up the television remote so much that it actually melted, because his parents (more specifically, his father after too many drinks) had it on so loud the night before that he couldn't get any sleep. He ended up getting annoyed, cranky from lack of sleep, and wished the remote would disappear so they'd have to live with the volume that was set. Next thing he know, the toxic scent of melted plastic permeated the room. He'd never been so scared as he was the day he had to tell them what had happened. What could he say? _"Hey, mom and dad, I melted the remote with my mind because I'm cranky from lack of sleep?"_ _That_ would've gone over well. Instead, he stumbled and tripped his way through the start of an explanation before finally just leading them to the hunk of useless plastic. And, instead of being annoyed or any of the reactions he'd feared, they actually asked him if _he_ did it. Got annoyed with them, though about getting back at them in some way, and then that happened.

The relief he felt when he asked them how they knew exactly what happened was nearly palpable. Though the disbelief that followed was also nearly palpable, until they did something that royally pissed him off and he destroyed a houseplant in the corner by knocking it over. And then apologized profusely, even though they both said they were the ones that did it. Revealed that his two friends, both a year older than him, had come into their own powers before him, and then magical hijinks ensued between friends, as one would expect.

And then he came out four months ago, and it all went to hell. No one to teach him about magic, no one to mess around with to test their powers, a learn as he goes process, and even then, he was scared to try anything on his own, especially because he heard dark magic was not only powerful, it was also addictive, like a drug of the magical community. It was to be avoided at all cost, because dark witches and wizards wouldn't hesitate to kill to get the next fix they craved. If the magics he got a hold of didn't kill him first, because his body wouldn't be able to handle the stress of the spells.

Walking inside his small one-floor house, he sighed heavily as he took a seat on the couch, letting his magics finally stop around his mind. Some people just chalked it up to inattentiveness when he asked them to repeat themselves, or if he zoned out, but his parents had warned him that dark witches and wizards could appear to be normal people standing right next to him, and could usually not only sense the presence of another, but also influence them to do things they normally wouldn't. Thus, they taught him a defensive spell that protected him from such things from magical beings.

Of course, the best laid plans and all that...

After all, he had no idea that he had a family of supernatural, not magical, beings attending the same high school as him. Ones whose strength wavered depending on how much blood they consumed. And ones who were focusing on him, some more powerfully than others, whether they knew it consciously or not...

* * *

><p>After a dinner that consisted of a sauteed chicken breast and baked potato wedges, and then his homework, Richie jumped into a shower and slid into bed, wanting to be well-rested and energized tomorrow. After all, he was allowed to be excited to go to school. No one here knew of his past, no one here knew his secret, and no one here could tell him to get out just because he preferred men over women because he was born that way. And, on top of that, he had at least one friend, and a hopefully true friend, in Alice.<p>

Of course, _those_ were the exact reasons it was a quarter to one in the morning and he was still awake.

He sighed again, staring up at the blurry form of his ceiling overhead. He was blind as a bat without his glasses on, and the cover of darkness made it an even worse predicament should anything try anything sneaky. After all, he might have been a practicing wizard, but he still was only seventeen years old. There was only so much he could do to try and defend himself.

There was always something his mother would do, ever since he was a child, if he could never fall asleep. However, he'd never done it on his own. Sure, he'd hummed it a few times, especially in the beginning of the day at school today, but he'd never gone so far to sing it out loud to himself in an effort to get himself to fall asleep. There was just something...odd...about it. Plus, he vowed to himself that he would _only_ ever share something like that with someone he truly and deeply cared about.

Still...desperate times called for desperate measure and all that...

Once again, he fought to get comfortable, snuggling under the covers with a quiet sigh. He just hoped something like this worked, otherwise, he'd end up falling asleep in class tomorrow, and that wasn't really something he needed to happen. heaving a deep sigh, He closed his eyes...and began to hum quietly to himself.

_Come, little children_  
><em>I'll take thee away<em>  
><em>Into a land<em>  
><em>of enchantment<em>

Though he never spoke the words, he could hear them plain as day, his mother's voice coming out with every word, having had it memorized from just how many times she'd sung this as a lullaby to him as a child.

_Come, little children_  
><em>The time's come to play<em>  
><em>Here in my garden<em>  
><em>Of magic<em>

It was weird, almost as if with the word 'magic', it was as if he was calmed, letting out a deep sigh that managed to take away any restlessness he may have had. Though he kept humming, a sigh mixing in the with words as he did so, though it did nothing to diminish the effect on the young wizard boy.

_Follow, sweet children_  
><em>I'll show thee the way<em>  
><em>Through all the pain and<em>  
><em>The sorrows<em>

His mother's voice began to mix with another voice. A deeper voice, most definitely a male voice, though one that was smooth, definitely not his father's voice, for his was far too rough and deep.

_Weep not, poor children_  
><em>For life is this way<em>  
><em>Murdering beauty and<em>  
><em>Passions<em>

The voices were still quiet, still calming, and still with a mindfulness and reverence that spoke of whom they were serenading to sleep, for the object of their lulling voices was not entirely out of the conscious realm, and one incorrect move or high pitch could bring them crashing right back into awareness.

_Hush now, dear children_  
><em>It must be this way<em>  
><em>Too weary of life and<em>  
><em>Deceptions<em>

Now, with each passing verse, the female voice got quieter and quieter, being overtaken by the voice of the male. Though, there was still the same level of trust between the singer and the one being sung to sleep, if not more than the previous relationship. This time, the one singing would never willingly stop.

_Rest now, my children_  
><em>For soon we'll away<em>  
><em>into the calm and<em>  
><em>The quiet<em>

Though, it didn't make sense, as the deeper sleep crept up, the clearer the voice became, until it drowned out the female entirely, leaving the soft tones of only the male, cool to the touch, yet warm at the same time. But, how? How was such a thing possible?

_Come, little children_  
><em>I'll take thee away, into a land<em>  
><em>Of enchantment<em>

Though, as Richie slipped into unconsciousness and his mind became hazy, another's became clear. With a vision of the future and what was to come. he was still in his bed, still being gently serenaded into the realm of the unconscious, but this time, he wasn't alone. He was being held against the bare marble chest of her youngest brother, bundled under the blankets as Edward lovingly sung him to sleep, a reverence etched on the vampire's face and in his amber eyes for the boy in his arms, unlike one she had ever seen before for another person.

_Come, little children_  
><em>The time's come to play<em>  
><em>Here in my garden<em>  
><em>Of shadows<em>

As she came out of her trance-like state, Alice simply grinned widely to herself, thankful beyond anything Edward was out hunting right now. Because, her suspicions were right. Completely and utterly right. And she needed to keep it to herself, at least for now.

At least until Edward found out the truth about the other boy.


	6. Never Again

_**Chapter 5 - Never Again**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, and Richie.**_

The conversation hadn't been skipped over last night. Once they were all home from hunting, Carlisle and Esme both asked them how their school day was, they said that it was fine, business as usual, until a fight nearly broke out between a new boy and Jessica Stanley. Alice was the one to bring it up, Emmett was the one who told them Richie about laying into her, while Jasper proudly commented that it was brave for the young male to do that, especially for a family that he didn't know and didn't know him. Edward remained silent through the entire exchange, but he had a look of such pride for the human male that he may as well have told the entire story.

Granted, none of them mentioned exactly what else had happened, unsure if it was just a fluke or a result of not feeding as much as they would normally. Today there would be no such accidents. Edward had fed far more than he'd ever done, so much that he had what he imagined was the human sensation of bloating in his stomach. Even the others (save for Alice) had fed more than usual, thinking that a reason they weren't able to get any sort of reading off of Richie was that they weren't as well fed.

Little did they know that they wouldn't need the extra precaution today.

* * *

><p>It all started with dirty looks in the parking lot after he arrived early, his walk to school being quicker than he thought it's be this morning. Granted, he'd seen a few of them, but he hadn't thought anything of it. After all, he'd dealt with the exact same looks from other people at his old school after the rumors of his sexual preference had begun to spread. Compound it with the fact that he'd strung Jessica up by her toes yesterday and then was seen with one of the Cullens afterward probably made him a bit more of a target than one would normally be for dirty looks. And he didn't care. So long as he had Alice and the Cullens, things felt strangely...right. Like they'd be okay. Like he would be okay.<p>

Taking a seat at an empty picnic table, he immediately buried his head in a book he'd brought to read while also plugging his earbuds into his ears, letting the melodic sounds of Lake Erie Rainfall come into his mind, tuning out the rest of the students milling by. After all, if anyone had been sitting there, they probably would have gotten up and left. He had a feeling that most of the people around here knew who Jessica was, and with her being a much of a gossip as she was, what he had done to her had undoubtedly spread around the entire student body since yesterday. Several versions of it, if he'd had to guess, as well.

So engrossed was he in the book that he didn't notice the students milling about, or a shiny silver Volvo make its way into the lot. Or that once the Volvo arrived, the area became suspiciously empty and quiet. If he had, he might have been able to prepare himself for what was to come better.

The book was ripped away from his hands with such a quickness that he was left staring at the top of the table for a second before it finally sunk in that it was no longer in his hands. Turning around to confront whoever had taken it, the young wizard had now found himself staring at four members of the Forks High football team. Four boys who were much taller, much stronger, and much more merciless than he was. And, according the the gleam in the four sets of eyes trained solely on him, he'd committed an atrocity against them.

And, now it was time to pay his dues.

Before he could even think to react, much less make any sort of attempt at stalling them until some possible form of help arrived, he found a punch barrel into the left side of his face and pitch him to the right, a second one from coming just as quickly from the same direction and landing on his temple, sending him back the way he came. A strong hand came to grip his right shoulder, pinning him to the wood of the table as he heard the unmistakable sound of cracking knuckles.

"This one's for Jess, queer."

Before he had time to react, he felt a hand on each of his ankles, opening his legs, and then the fist of the boy who had spoken slam into his center, his most vulnerable spot pried open for their merciless enjoyment. Almost as quick as they bound him, they let him go, the hand on his shoulder shoving him for good measure and making him, almost mercifully, hit his head on the table as he tumbled off the seat and into the grass.

* * *

><p>Standing before Richie's locker, Alice bounced her foot nervously, her amber eyes glowing with just as much of a nervousness. Something wasn't right. She had seen Richie in the courtyard as they had pulled up, they all had, and they made their way into school. She had intended to meet up with him here as a pleasant surprise for the morning, but he had yet to show up. He didn't seem like the type to skip class without a legitimate reason, so why wasn't he here?<p>

A shuddering breath passed her lips, more of a gasp, as her eyes glazed over, her mind drifting a bit.

She ended up in the courtyard. At the foot of a picnic table, where the sounds of piano music drifted from earbuds that had come out of ears during the obvious struggle. Richie lay in the grass, obviously unconscious, a bruise forming on the left side of his face, bottom lip split and leaving a trail of blood. An equally dark bruise was forming on his right temple, made all the more clear by the fact that his glasses were laying next to him on the ground.

Once again, the petite vampire gasped as she came back into reality, her mind processing the images she had just seen around someone she was quickly coming to care about. She took off toward the entrance at a human pace, screaming as loud as her mind could.

**_Edward!_**

* * *

><p>The youngest of the vampire family immediately heard Alice's mental anguish and, pinpointing her thoughts in an instant, appeared next to her as if he had been there the entire time. Confused as much as he was, the rest of the family appeared seconds later.<p>

"What? What is it, Alice?"

Alice's amber eyes were wide with concern as she tugged on his hand. "Richie." She tugged forcefully, leaving him no choice but to follow her toward the main entrance, thankfully not far at all from Richie's locker.

Rosalie turned toward her mate and her brother. "What about him? What does she need Edward for so badly concerning him?"

Both boys shrugged, unsure of the answer, but chose to follow the other two outside.

* * *

><p>Edward followed his sister, thoroughly confused, as they walked outside. Alice was pulling at him with an urgency and a desperation he hadn't seen in a very long time. The urgency already had him on edge, but it was nothing compared to when they rounded a building and saw a cluster of picnic tables. With an unconscious Richie laying next to one.<p>

At the sight, something snapped in the bronze-haired, amber-eyed man. Before he had even realized what he was doing, he was kneeling next to the prone human boy, holding his unconscious form against his chest as he inspected the bruises forming on the delicate skin.

Someone had hurt Richie.

The pad of his thumb gently brushed the unconscious boy's lip, wiping away the crimson line with a shudder. They were all outside, surrounded by fresh air and fully sated, yet the venom rose in the back of his throat as if he were half hungered and in an enclosed room as big as a supply closet. Behind him, Jasper shuddered the slightest bit, struggling with his own past and his own inner demons. But, the way this young boy's blood called to him, set his nerves ablaze, was nowhere near the same thing as what it did to Jasper.

_It shouldn't be like this for me. He shouldn't have this effect on me._

Edward turned his head to speak to his family, though they could easily have heard him regardless. "We need to take him home. _Now!_"

Rosalie's jaw dropped at the statement from her youngest brother. Yes, she did feel bad for the boy, especially since this probably came as a direct result of him defending her family, but this was just outright insane. "Like _hell_ he needs to-"

Edward spun to face her, still holding Richie close to him, his voice low, challenging, and a growl as he cut her off mid-protest. "I'm taking him home. No matter what the _fuck_ you say. He needs Carlisle."

His out-of-character viciousness, as well as the swearing, stunned her into silence for once. Emmett spoke up. "Bro, there are other doctors-"

The look of pure fury Edward shot him shut him up just as quickly as it did Rosalie. Where the courtyard had become the scene of torture of an innocent boy, it now became the battleground for a silent match of wills between an entire family. At least until Alice spoke up.

"He's meant to come with us." Her eyes went to her sister, who regarded her warily. "He'll need us just as much as we'll need him soon."

The blonde vampire mulled it over in her mind. This was not good at all. And it also couldn't end well for any of them. Secrets were going to come out about the family, leaving them all unsafe, especially because they had no way of knowing if this little pet of Edward's wouldn't shoot his mouth off at the first opportunity. But, there was no way for her to prevent what was going to happen at this point. he was coming home with them, and at her own defeat, she huffed out a sigh. "Fine, bring your pity project home. But-" She punctuated the word with a jab of an elegantly tipped fingernail. "But, it's not going to be _my_ fault when this explodes in our faces." And with that, she turned and stalked away, heading for the silver Volvo across the other side the parking lot.

Edward simply ignored her as she walked off, instead focusing on the prone, vulnerable boy in his arms. His breathing was regular now, and the cut on his lip had stopped bleeding. The bruises weren't too bad, either. In all truth and reality, he probably didn't need Carlisle, but the amber-eyed man wasn't going to leave anything up to any sort of chance.

_No one_ would hurt his Richie again.


	7. The Truth

_**Chapter 6 - The Truth**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, and Richie.**_

_Thoughts are in italics._

The ride home was awkward, uncomfortable in it's silence and it's tenseness. Not one of the vampires said a word, Edward cradling Richie's unconscious form to his chest tightly, almost afraid if he let him go, more harm would befall him. Jasper drove quickly, having already informed Carlisle they were coming home, and that they needed his medical expertise. The only plus side to the entire ride was Alice, smiling once more, giving Edward hope and the implication that things would turn out alright where the human boy was concerned.

As soon as the car came to a halt outside the palatial home, Rosalie was outside and to the door. She burst inside, the others close behind her, and then turned to the slightly surprise figures of Esme and a still-home Carlisle, who pushed a surgery back until the matter could be resolved. "Edward's brought home a pet. Hope it's not a problem."

Edward hissed at the utter disdain in her voice for the unconscious boy in his arms, as he carried him through the door of the house. "He's not a _pet._" He practically growled out, as he stalked to the plush leather couch, gently setting the unresponsive form of Richie onto it. "He ended up getting into a fight, and he's a little bit scraped up as a result."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow, intrigued at his youngest son's odd behavior. "So, you brought him here?"

Rosalie pushed her blonde hair back forcefully. "My exact point! There are other people, other _doctors,_ that can help him just as well!"

Edward rounded on his older sister. "He's _different_, Rosalie! Even you can feel that, I know you can! I don't think he's human!"

"All the more reason to avoid him! Humans themselves are dangerous enough, and we don't ave any idea of what _he_ is, if he's not human!" Frustration was evident in the female vampire's tone and body language as she continued to argue with her youngest brother.

In the blink of an eye, Edward stood in front of Rosalie, his amber eyes flashing brilliantly as he came to the unconscious boy's defense. "I don't _care_ what he is."

Carlisle looked to his other children in utter confusion. Fights like this were rare enough in the household, but fights like this with Edward were nearly nonexistent. How was it that one boy, one _human_ boy no less, had changed the family dynamic so drastically? His answer came in the form of shrugs, for they were just as confused as he was.

"Have you gone completely **_insane_**?!" Rosalie's anger and frustration over the situation mounted, and her words failed her. Unable to voice anything else through her frustration, she took off for the stairs at top speed, the door to her bedroom slamming a split second later. Silence was thick after the slam, one that no one wanted to break, unsure of what to say.

However, a need for clarity overrode discomfort, and the head vampire spoke up. "I assume there is more to the story than this?" At the question, Edward's gaze dropped to the floor, and Jasper's brow furrowed at the feelings of uncertainty coming off of his youngest brother.

Seeing he wasn't going to answer, Alice spoke up, stepping closer to the unconscious boy as she did so. "This is the one we told you about last night. Richie Taylor, the student from Pennsylvania." Emmett and Jasper exchanged a glance, and Carlisle and Esme looked at the petite brunette in confusion. This time, it was their mother who spoke up, walking over to the prone boy, a look of motherly concern passing over her face as she inspected his wounds, lightly touching here and there upon the stricken male's face.

"How did he end up in this fight you mentioned earlier?" She inquired of all of them.

Edward bristled at the mention of the fight, but it was Alice who answered. "We...don't know. I was waiting for him by his locker after we saw him reading in the courtyard, but he never came. I began to get nervous, and then I had a vision of him lying by a picnic table."

"More than likely Jessica was the one who orchestrated it." Edward growled out ferociously. "After Richie humiliated her yesterday, I wouldn't put it past her to try something as revenge. Round up a few of her little football cronies to do her dirty work." Esme looked up at the utterly furious tone of her youngest son, before smiling sadly at the young boy laying on the couch. This form of attention and interest wasn't normal.

"The wounds are only superficial. He should be easy to assist, Carlisle." Her husband nodded as she stood up to face her children, taking her place to assess the young boy's damage himself. "Aside from defending us to that..._girl_...have any of you actually met and talked to him?"

At the question Edward shifted uncomfortably, but Alice perked up yet again. "Yes! I've talked to him all day since yesterday!" Her face darkened just a touch, because today was obviously different.

"Was this fight over what was said yesterday in the cafeteria?" Esme asked the question with a bit of a crestfallen look. The fact that this young human was ambushed and injured so, just for defending her and her family, she felt a certain pang of guilt.

Jasper crossed his arms over his chest at the question. "Must've been. I can't imagine what else it could stem from."

"Unless it was his sexual orientation." Edward muttered darkly, amber eyes flashing once again.

Carlisle stood, idly taking note of his son's mood swings, going from timid when the subject was about Richie himself, then going to protective when it came up to his attack. He brought him here instead of anywhere else. All the signs pointed to one thing... "He should be fine. There are no internal or life threatening injuries. No concussion or the like. His gaze turned to Alice. "He should wake up soon."

"About twenty minutes, give or take." She replied, her smile widening a bit.

Emmett frowned. "I'd better go talk to Rose." He turned and headed up the stairs, as Alice turned to Edward.

"Jasper and I need to go and have a chat, as well." Her mate turned to look at her, quickly getting the hint in her eyes and following her with no hesitation. Esme mentioned something about looking for recipes since a human was in the house, and she wasn't letting him leave hungry.

Edward found himself grateful for his family's capacity for consideration. And he cleared his throat quietly, gathering his father's attention instantly. "Carlisle?"

"Yes, Edward?"

The bronze-haired man considered his words for a moment, rolling them over in his head before he spoke, letting out a quiet sigh before he did so. "There are things about Richie...things that happen when I'm near him..." he shook his head, a tiny crease forming between his eyebrows, much like the one that appeared whenever he was trying to figure something...**_anything_**...about the human boy out. "I just don't understand..."

His father just nodded softly, thinking that he already knew where this was going. And praying that his suspicions were correct. "Could you give me an example?"

His son gave it some consideration. "Just the thought of seeing him today made me...excited. Happy. Nervous, even. Even yesterday, after meeting him for the first time, I spent all day thinking about him." He looked at his father pleadingly. "You know I'm not like that. Not normally, at least." His amber eyes went out the window. "Then his voice. The first time it was directed at me, about me and the family, not just thrown over his shoulder...it did things to me no one else's has ever done. There was just more to it than anyone else's." He again established eye contact with his father. "Do you understand this? Does it make any sense to you?"

Carlisle smiled, his own amber eyes understanding. "More than you would expect, Edward." He turned to fully face his son, clasping his hands together in front of him as he did so. "Tell me, Edward. How do you feel when you look at Richie? When you're simply near him? Across a crowded hallway? In the cafeteria? Even today, this morning and right now?

The bronze-haired amber-eyed man glanced over at the unconscious boy, letting the emotions he was quickly associating with him rise to the surface. "I...I feel like I _need_ to protect him from everything. Everything and everyone in the world that could hurt him, even today, I wanted to know just who had done this to him." He shook his head, running a hand through his bronze hair in hopes of getting his frustration out a bit. "But, I'm also energized. More than I've ever been. So much that I feel like there's _nowhere else_ to put it, but also no way to get it all out. Unless I was trying to hurt him myself, which I _don't_ want to do!"

His father was quiet for a moment before actually responding. "There are other ways to let that energy out on him, you know." His voice was low, thoughtful, as if he was trying to tread carefully. "_Gentler_ ways..."

His youngest son's brow furrowed once more, as he struggled to understand just what his father meant. _Gentler ways? What the **hell** was that supposed to-_ His amber eyes went wide as realization ran through his thoughts swifter than he would've thrown the culprits off the young human boy.

_Oh. My. **God. No.**_

It all made sense. Why he wanted to get to know him. Learn _everything_ about him. That protective instinct, even over a couple of idiot children who thought it would be fun to make him their toy. Already his senses were tunneling, on, around, and about the prone boy on the couch.

"No." The word slipped out without him even realizing it, his eyes were wide, stark realization on his face, and Carlisle knew he had finally understood, not that he had any doubt he wouldn't. Edward was very astute. But, this reaction was far from the expected reaction.

"What is it?"

"I-I can't! Carlisle, I can't. I'm too strong. Too fast. I-I'll kill him!" The father saw the downright fear and trepidation in his youngest son's eyes and stood, trying to calm him down, but his ranting couldn't be tamed. "Just today, it took every ounce of self control I had not to turn him then and there over a cut on his lip. His blood..._his body_...calls to me like no one ever has done before."

* * *

><p>Rosalie came down the stairs, Emmett after her, though she looked none happier than she was before. "What are you all doing?" She growled out, far too low for her distressed brother to pick up right now. "I swear, all of you are acting like he's some house guest when he's not. He might not be human, he could be dangerous, and he's-"<p>

"He's Edward's mate." Esme, holding a cookbook, appeared behind her silently, her voice calm but firm and cutting off her daughter's ranting.

The blonde's words suddenly halted, Jasper and Alice following their mother as Emmett stood on the bottom step. "What?"

Jasper's voice came out a bit harsher than normal, turning to her. "His mate. Or did it slip your mind that he's never found his yet?"

For her part, she seemed hurt by the implication in the Southern vampire's drawl. "I- Of course not! But, **_him_**? You're certain of this?"

Alice nodded brightly, smiling just the same as she remembered her vision from the night before. Her brother and the human male, happy and content. "Yes, certain. They'll be happy together, both of them." She frowned slightly. "What, like there's something wrong with him?"

"No, but he's not a vampire. He's not even _human_. Or might not be..." The blonde sighed, rolling her amber eyes. "Only _Edward_. Only _he_ would find a mate that's as complicated as this."

Jasper smirked at the implications in his sister's voice. "Seems fitting, if you ask me. After all, he's not exactly a simple man, himself."

Alice simply smiled between the four of them. "He'll be fine. They'll both be. And it's about time Edward had some complication in his life, as well as someone to protect. After today, he'll more than likely be doing a very good job of it."


	8. Awakened

_**Chapter 7 - Awakened**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, the mistakes, and Richie.**_

Carlisle was aware of his children and his wife discussing what Edward had finally come to realize about the young male laying on the couch, but he didn't pay too much attention to what was said, too focused on calming his youngest son down from finding his mate after nearly one hundred years. And that his mate was different than most, strictly because he wasn't a vampire like the rest of them. "Edward, look at me." Seeing his youngest son's amber eyes focus on him after he said the words, he continued on, his voice gentle, but still firm, much like his wife's would be in this situation. "You would _never_ do anything to hurt him. You know that, I know you do on some level."

As if they were called, Alice and Jasper quickly reentered the room, in a blur. Jasper, sensing his role in this, sent calming waves toward his brother, taking the edge off of his worries and fears. And sensing the change in the air, Carlisle spoke to his daughter, "Alice? Can you see any instance of Edward harming Richie? Hurting him in any way?"

The soft smile she sent the bronze-haired vampire was soft, reassuring. "No, I don't." She took his hand, squeezing gently. "Just the opposite, actually. You're going to help him in more ways than you'll ever know."

Edward's amber eyes fell to the polished floor at his feet. To think, just about twenty-four hours before, his world had been so simple. Boring. Just as it had been for as long as he could remember.

And then Richie stumbled into his life. Quite literally.

He looked back up, his eyes connecting with his father and two siblings. "This is still dangerous."

His father simply took a step back, smoothing out his shirt as he did so. "And you'll be careful, like always. I'd expect nothing less from you."

Alice bounced happily, clinging to her brother's arm. "It'll be fine, Edward, you'll see that." Her smile widened. "Better than fine, even."

"However, we'll have to shelve this conversation for a later time." Jasper said to them quietly, as Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme entered the room, the sounds of an almost imperceptive groan coming to their ears. "Our guest is coming around."

* * *

><p>Richie's milk chocolate eyes fluttered open, only to slam back shut again as the light he took in was far too much for them to accustom to all at once. Welcoming the darkness again, he took a quick moment to take stock of his dreams, which had been odd, certainly for him. Full of amber-gold, things he kept reaching for but were too far away to actually get a grip on. Shadowy figures standing in the woods around his small home, almost as if they were protectors, one impossibly small, the other taller, with a head of messy hair. Whenever he got close enough, they would vanish in the blink of an eye, as if they were never there in the first place.<p>

Once again, his eyes opened, managing to stay open long enough to register the same amber color from his dreams was right in front of him, though having no discernible shape to it at all. With a small whimper, he shut his eyes again, only to feel something slide on his face. On instinct, he reached up, his hand landing in something...soft. Without even thinking of it, his eyes flew open, this time the picture before him was of crystal clarity.

It took him only a second to realize Edward Cullen was staring down at him in concern...and that what his hand was currently in was the other male's messy hair, which he quickly reclaimed with utter embarrassment. "Shit. I-I'm...oh god, I'm sorry..."

Somehow, as his hand left his bronze hair, Edward's amber eyes flashed brighter for a second or two. Something that should have set alarm bells off in the wizard's mind, but didn't, inexperienced in the regards of the supernatural.

"That's alright. How are you feeling, Richie?" That voice. Dear **_god_**, that voice. Like comforting silk, cool ice, and smooth velvet all rolled into one package. And he wanted it.

And, at that moment, his brain seemed to catch up with his body, because it finally struck him that he was on a couch he'd never once been on, in a room he'd never once been in, surrounded by a group of people he barely knew or had never met before. Edward Cullen was staring down at him, with an intensity that was almost frightening.

So, then why wasn't he scared? "F-Fine...um, Edward?"

The vampire smiled, content as he realized his newfound mate remembered his name. "Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, where the heck am I?"

All persons gathered laughed lightly, save for the blonde in the very back...Rosalie, if he remembered correctly. He also took note that there were two adults he had no recollection of in the room, as well. These were the Cullens' parents, more than likely.

From behind her brother, Alice beamed brightly, a megawatt smile. "You're in our house, Richie! We brought you here after we...found you." She nodded toward Carlisle quickly, probably trying not to make him think of the attack he'd just suffered. "Our dad's a doctor, so we had him look you over."

"Found me?" On instinct, Richie's hand went to his glasses to shove them up on his nose, his fingers brushing against the bruise on his temple slightly, but painfully from the small sound he left out. As such, he missed the flash in Edward's amber eyes as the full extent of the attack came back to his mate, the quiet sounds of pain from the human making him want to find the guilty parties. "Ow."

"You should be fine, Richie. There's no real damage." Carlisle spoke up, his words and expression kind.

Feeling uncomfortable under the stares of so many people, Richie pushed himself into a proper sitting position on the lush leather couch, turning his attention to the doctor of the family. "Er...thank you, Dr. Cullen, for checking me out." He then turned his attention to the siblings. "And thank you...all of you...for making sure I was alright. Though, I admit, you didn't have to go through the trouble just for someone like me. I'm sure I would have been fine when I woke up."

The others smiled brightly once again, Rosalie excluded again, as per usual. However, Edward continued to stare at him intently, despite the smile on his face. "Someone like you?" The vampire quoted him. "Who stood and defended a family he didn't know just because it was the right thing to do. Why would we ignore that very same person in need after they'd something like that for us?"

Blinking dimly at the other male's sudden outburst, Richie rubbed his arms before moving to stand off the couch, suddenly very uncomfortable because he had no idea what to say in the silence that followed Edward's question. "You r-raise a good point, but uh...I-I better-"

Edward had stood with him, and now made the smallest move closer to him. "Do you have to?" His amber eyes had softened a bit with the question, but they were no less intense, this time in wanting the wizard to stay. Something was most definitely odd about the teenager asking him these questions.

But still, somehow Richie couldn't find it in him to refuse the silent offer to stay. "Well, n-no, I don't have to. I-I just don't want to be an inconvenience to you more than I already have been..."

Out of nowhere, the female adult, Esme, pushed herself forward and gripped Richie by the arm. "Oh, you're no inconvenience at all, dear. It's a pleasure to have a guest over, especially one as kind as you. I'm in the middle of looking up some recipes, you must be starved after going through all that."

Richie was suddenly reminded of his own mother, except this woman was much like he had guessed in the cafeteria yesterday. Kind, nurturing, warm, and caring to a greater degree than his own mother, making him miss this kind of a presence in his life terribly. Only adding to this notion was that before he could even think about possibly dissuading her from going through any more trouble for him, she had pushed him into a chair and was already whirling to grab at least two cookbooks.

And he had no sooner been settled into the chair than the one across from him had been slid out, Edward sitting across from him.

* * *

><p>"So, after you pick one of these, why don't you tell us about yourself, dear?"<p>

That single statement, coming from Esme as she held out two cookbooks, one opened to completely garnished chicken Parmesan and the other to spicy pad Thai, came innocently enough. It was clear he'd been a topic of conversation in the Cullen household, not that was surprising. As fast as the news of him and Jessica in the cafeteria had spread around the school, it came as no surprise that it was brought up here. Of course the parent's he'd blindly defended would have heard about him.

After choosing the Italian in favor of the Southeast Asian in terms of cuisine, he found Esme and Edward looking at him curiously, as if they were waiting for them to begin.

"Well?" And the single word question from Edward made it clear they were.

No one had really taken much of an interest in him like this, actually asking him about himself rather than just making their own assumptions based off of how he acted. Or how they wanted him to act. And now that someone was doing just that, he had absolutely _no idea_ as to how to react. Surely, his life and his interests weren't all that important to this incredibly kind woman and her son.

"Oh, stop treating him like something on a display, you two." Alice's voice filtered through the kitchen as she walked in, making Esme turn to her with a jovial grin, while Edward simply shot her a smile, but barely a glance, his amber eyes focused on the human across from him. While Esme may have been making conversation, it was clear that Edward was the one with the interest.

So, he jumped all in. His sexual orientation, which Esme actually didn't know about about, though had no problem with it. She even mysteriously said that she'd just had a newfound experience with it, but it didn't bother her, so long as the boys were happy in the end. His music interests ranging from Demi Lovato, which Alice and Edward already knew, to Jessica Lowndes, piano music, rock, classic, to pretty much everything in between.

"Lake Erie Rainfall to Give Your Heart a Break?" Edward asked him, music clearly a common thread and interest between them, though Richie's varying tastes was an opportunity for harmless poking from the amber-eyed man.

The human boy shrugged in response to the vampire's question. "I like piano music just because I was in chorus at my old school. Ever since I was twelve." Esme chose that moment to set down a plate of saucy grilled chicken, complete with a small side of pasta, in front of him, effectively taking his eyes off her son for a moment. As such, his missed the way his amber eyes glowed at the thought of the boy in front of him singing. _His voice is probably beautiful..._

"Also, it helps relax me. There nights I can't sleep...or couldn't sleep...and music always helped me to do that. There are times when my mother would sing me to sleep, or I've sung myself to sleep, as odd as that sounds..." Richie's voice brought him out of his thoughts, if only for a moment. Because it went from the boy singing in front of him to him holding the boy, gently singing into his ear, a smile of bliss on his face even in slumber.

Until it hit him that it was now far too vivid to be just him daydreaming.

_I saw it last night. That's how I know it'll be alright, and that you'll never hurt him. You've never had that look on your face for anyone else. Except for now. Except for him._

Edward wished he could say that he remembered his sister and mother were there in the same room as him, but he'd be lying if he did. Because, his thoughts focused solely on the human male across from him as Alice picked the conversation up. "You never told me you were in chorus."

A light dusting of pink slid across the pale human's cheeks, making Edward want to see it more. In varying shades, if possible. "The subject never came up." His voice was quiet, almost embarrassed, and utterly adorable.

_What **isn't** adorable about him?_


	9. Claim What's Yours

_**Chapter 8 - Claim What's Yours**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for the storyline, mistakes, and Richie.**_

Once his meal was finished, and after chatting back and forth with Alice the entire time, with Edward and Esme chiming in when they had something to say, Richie felt his time to leave was around. He stood, and then said as much, the reaction from Edward belying his disappointment.

"You don't have to leave."

The words were rushed, a longing in them speaking that the other male really didn't want him to leave. And the reaction was odd to the human boy. Ever since his disowning and subsequent arrival at Forks, everyone seemed to be in a genuine hurry for him to leave. Or made him feel so uncomfortable that he took his leave on his own terms and no one cared when he did. He'd grown accustomed to those reactions, and these new ones, though welcome, were something he wasn't used to. "I'd really better go. School seems to be out of the question, and I figure I'll use the day off to catch up on things around the house."

"Then, at least let me drive you home. You shouldn't walk that distance, plus, you don't know where you are." Edward was grasping at straws, groping in the dark for something to hold onto. He was scared of hurting the human boy, and that alone implied that he should stay away and keep his distance, but the fact Richie was his mate complicated things. The carnal, animalistic side of the vampire, long since dormant since there was no one around to bring that physical side of him out, had awakened and wanted him to keep Richie around, talk with him until there was literally _nothing_ left to say. Nothing left to find out about each other through words and expression. And then learn about him in other, much more intimate, ways.

Having absolutely no way to deny that, Richie was forced to agree, though he did so with reluctance, even after Alice offered to join them to find out where he lived. Minutes later, he was saying his goodbyes and extending his thanks once again, as well as a promise to an insistent and widely smiling Esme to return once again.

And, then came the car ride.

* * *

><p>Though Edward drove fast - so fast that it was frightening, actually - the drive still seemed to take quite a while. The trio talked about little things, like favorite classes and teachers for this school year as well as Edward's playful teasing about introducing Richie to real music, it was as if nothing was amiss between them. As if they were three ordinary friends simply enjoying a morning together. No one would know that Richie was getting increasingly nervous as the ride went on.<p>

There was _something_, some sort of energy at play between him and Edward, and it was causing his nerves to hit him more than usual. He stuttered a bit more, tripped over words a bit more, no matter how short his sentences became, and it felt like something was flipping his stomach, turning and flipping it more and more. This wasn't normal. And what was more, given his inexperience with romantic feelings, especially towards the same gender, they were dangerous.

"Is it...does it feel warm in here to anyone else?" The human boy inquired, playing with the collar of his shirt as he did so. The air in the car was thick and stifling. And also very..._warm_, now that he realized it.

"I hadn't noticed anything." Alice's voice spoke up from the back seat, with her ever-usual cheeriness, as Edward gave him an odd look, but nonetheless obliged his mate by turning the air on higher. The both of them watched as Richie slid the air ducts his way, toward his flushed face, hoping to obviously try and cool himself off. Exchanging a look, a silent comment passed between them, the boy unaware.

_His blush is quite adorable, isn't it?_

Edward smirked slightly in agreement, though it wouldn't be much of a lie for him to say that _everything_ this little human boy did was starting to become adorable. His blush, the way he fell over his words upon getting too excited or nervous, and the vision Alice had gotten of him slumbering in his arms. He wanted it to become real. He wanted it all to become real, because he finally understood what passed between his family when they look at one another. He'd finally found it himself.

Following Richie's directions, they came to a stop on the outskirts of Forks, about a fifteen minute walk away from the school, as the boy had told them, through a bit of a stutter. And they pulled up to a house not even five minutes later, one that was very small, very quaint, and given his personality, very appropriate for the boy to reside in.

As Edward threw the car into park, Alice piped up from the backseat. "We'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes, you will." Richie answered her, without much of a shaky smile, or the stutter that had been in his words before. Though, when he turned back to Edward, he found those amber eyes watching his every move...and nearly felt a shudder crawl it's way up his spine when he did. _What. The. **Hell?!**_

Because just the amber-eyed man opening his mouth to speak, eyes on him as he talked to his sister, sent shivers up and down his spine, when just an hour ago, they did nothing of the sort. But, being in his car, these simple acts were enough to make Richie's stomach churn in...fear? Anticipation? But, of _what_?

"I guess this is goodbye." The simple sentence made Edward's velvet voice drop a bit, like he was upset to see him go.

"Until tomorrow, Edward." Richie said in a silent agreement, as he reached for the door handle and pulled. ...only for nothing to happen.

_You have **got** to be kidding me!_ Feeling like one of the siblings was coming after him with a jar of spiders or a tickle spell, Richie tried again and again, only to get the same result each time, his annoyed glare becoming more and more prominent.

Edward laughed lightly at the adorably annoyed look on his mate's face, before reaching over to grip the handle himself and pulling. "It sticks sometimes. Here, why don't you let me?"

And three things happened at once.

The motion of the vampire reaching across his lap sent his scent toward the human from the vents blowing at him, making an intoxicating blend he couldn't even begin to describe or even begin to pinpoint as the smells assaulted his senses. And the scent sent shock waves through Richie that shook him to his core, making his body spasm just a bit in the most pleasant of ways, and Edward's amber eyes caught the movement easily, going to his boy's face for any sort of indication anything was amiss. Amber and chocolate eyes met, both sets considerably darker than remembered, and before they could even realize what either one was about to do, Richie's lips were a near inch away from Edward's, his body acting almost on autopilot, going towards the seductive, intoxicating scent and the owner of it.

At least until fresh, rain-soaked air permeated the car, breaking both human and vampire out of the trance, making Edward lean back a bit, so he was more on the divider than so dangerously close to Richie. And the blush Edward so desperately wanted to see came to his mate's face, as his eyes tore away from his and he looked anywhere, literally anywhere, but at his face.

"I-I'll see you, t-tomorrow, then?" The question was meant for both him and Alice, it was really, but his chocolate eyes went to the amber-eyed man he had just _nearly kissed_ as he asked it.

"Yes, you will." Edward, for his part, showed no physical nerves or anything of the like of what had just occurred, even though his lips nearly _burned_ where the human's hot breath had fanned against them, venom bubbling in the back of his throat as the monster inside him urged him to surge forward, claim the human's lips, take what was supposed to be _his_.

"We'll be waiting here at 7:20!" Alice also spoke up, her voice holding even more of her cheerful personality than normal, and Richie, unaware of the real reason, simply chalked it up to seeing him again. This time, well and whole.

This time Richie turned to her, flustered beyond anything he'd felt before, but not flustered enough to not to argue them going out of their way for him. "You don't have to-"

"We _want_ to." Edward's voice cut off any protestation he was about to make, and, out of fear that he might make the same mistake of _nearly kissing him_ again, he found he was powerless to resist.

"Okay. Then, tomorrow it is, then."

"Perfect!" Alice trilled happily from the backseat, as Edward watched his mate intently with a small half-smile and half-smirk, leaning against the divider. Richie, for his part, smiled weakly, before stepping out into the cool, damp air.

"I'll see you both tomorrow." He'd repeated himself , but his mind was on autopilot, desperately wanting to be inside his own house, to replay what the _hell_ had just happened to nearly make him kiss the bronze-haired amber-eyed man smirking at him lightly from across the divider.

"Yes, you will." Edward's soft voice made it sound like a combination of both a promise, as well as a threat. And, given his current flustered state, he wasn't sure if he was excited or afraid.

All he could do was smile at them both and give a nod, before shutting the car door and and walking to the front door of his small home. Edward didn't pull away until after he was safely tucked inside.

* * *

><p>Edward drove down the street in a daze, one hand on the wheel and the other perched over his burning lips where Richie's hovered and had so nearly connected with his.<p>

_Richie was about to kiss me._

Behind him, he caught the sight of his sister in the backseat, grinning madly at the dreamy, almost dazed, expression on his face. "Well?"

"I'm sure you saw it all from your vantage point." Edward replied just as teasingly.

"And what do you plan to do about this? Since he obviously feels as drawn to you as you do to him." Alice asked him, though she was biting her lips to keep from smiling any wider as Edward glanced in the rearview mirror back at her.

One thing was abundantly, almost painfully, clear in his mind. How badly he had wanted to close the distance between them, but held off, knowing that he would have frightened the poor boy more than he already was. Despite that, the thought was clear, prevalent, and needed to be voiced.

"I won't stop until he's mine."


	10. Thoughts and Opinions

_**Chapter 9 - Thoughts and Opinions**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, the mistakes, and Richie.**_

Edward ended up speeding home faster than normal, eager to get back to the majority and entirety of his family. In an odd move for the vampire, he'd actually ended up avoiding the thoughts of his family on the subject of him and Richie while the human boy was there; as it was, most of his thoughts had been focused on the teenager while he was there to really be bothered over their thoughts on the matter, anyway. Now that Richie was no longer present, he wanted to hear their thoughts on him, though straight from their mouths instead of in their heads.

He came to a stop before the Cullen mansion, and he and Alice were both at the entrance before their car doors were even fully shut. They both came to a halt in the living room, where the family was already gathered, waiting for their return. At the silence, Edward took a deep, steadying breath, unable to keep the nervous, yet excited, smile off his face.

"So...what do you think of him?"

* * *

><p>Richie sank onto his couch in his living room, the scent of a freshly-struck match used to light a cinnamon-vanilla candle still hanging in the air. He had absolutely no idea as to what to think anymore. What to feel.<p>

He wasn't always the most confident individual in the world, that much was for certain, and he hadn't had much in himself in the past few months. For getting thrown out by his parents for telling them an important part about himself and not getting unconditional love in return would let anyone's self-worth take a hit. But, he was getting better and back to his old ways, standing up for what he believed was right, regardless of the consequences.

And then Edward Cullen had to walk into his life and completely, utterly upend it more than it already was.

Nothing made any sort of sense anymore. His body was betraying him at the most inopportune moments, shivering and stumbling at the worst possible times, and he found himself stuttering, blushing, and becoming nervous a lot easier than what he was actually accustomed or used to. Words just tumbled out of his mouth without him thinking them through, or when he finally had an intelligent response to say, his throat would close, the words blocked up a lump. The effect was driving him completely insane, for there was nothing he could really do about it. The Cullen family were the first people in recent memory to show him any form of outward compassion since his arrival in Forks, and he'd go so far as to consider them friends of his. Alice (and if he any form of say in the matter, definitely Edward) already was, after all. He couldn't, and most certainly _wouldn't_, turn away from them, just because he was dealing with issues that he had no experience in dealing with.

* * *

><p>At her youngest son's question, Esme was the first to break, entirely unable to hold her response in, even though her already-beaming smile spoke volumes about the boy in question. "Oh, Edward, he's wonderful! Very polite and a kind and compassionate individual."<p>

Carlisle smiled, putting an arm around his wife's shoulders. "I'm very happy for you, son."

Emmett smirked widely. "He seems cool enough. Little on the shy side, though." He nudged Alice with his elbow, sending her a wink. "You and I are gonna have to work on that." His sister beamed at him before turning back to Edward, her opinion of Richie long since been obvious and she had no reason to speak up.

As such, the bronze-haired vampire turned to the final two silent ones- Jasper and Rosalie. The male of the blonds was the first one to speak. "I can't get anything from him, but it's obvious from the way he acts around you that this is...right." He smiled lightly. "How it's supposed to be. And if it's how it's supposed to be, then you have my blessing. I'm happy for you."

Edward smiled at him in return, but then steeled himself, for Rosalie was up next. And the blonde met his stare with an equal amount of silence. Though, finally, she let out the softest of sighs. "Are you sure - and I mean _absolutely sure_ - that this is it? The real thing? That he's your mate?"

There was only a moment of hesitation before Edward nodded resolutely. His reply, so low and almost vulnerable, was another change not to be taken lightly. "He is, Rose. I know it."

She stared only a few seconds more before a small smile cracked her flawless mask. "...then I'm happy for you, Edward."

At that, her youngest brother let out a small laugh of relief and, before she could even react, had swept her up into a brief, though tight. hug. Her eyes widened at the unusual display of affection from her reserved brother, as did the eyes of everyone else in the room.

Proof that not only Richie was changing Edward, but that it was clearly already happening.

When he pulled away, Rosalie poked him in the chest with a perfect fingernail, still with a small smile on her face. "But, if he hurts you, I'm tearing him into pieces so small that no one will ever be able to find him whole again."

In response, Edward simply grinned, because only from Rosalie's mouth could that sound like something meant to be endearing.

* * *

><p>Richie swiped his glasses off his face, scrubbing at his brown eyes, hoping that would relieve some of the tension he was feeling, and the headache he was undoubtedly going to have if he kept up his train of thought. Because when he took a step back, no matter how brief, all of his bodily responses and actions pointed to one thing. And that was that he liked Edward. A very attractive and interesting guy.<p>

That was more than likely straighter than a board. And, Richie's feelings, the way he felt and the way he simply reacted to the mysterious amber-eyed man. He could tell that his feelings were more than that, there was no way they _couldn't_ be.

If only he knew what provoked this sort of reaction in him. Maybe a spell? A love spell of some sort, cast on him to make him fall all over the tall, lanky male, in the hopes of... In hopes of _what_? Who would cast such a thing on him? His friends back home would do something like that, but only for short bursts of time, not days on end and let him develop the feelings to this intensity, for it would only hurt him and cause a rift in their friendship when the spell wore off. The only other feasible reason was that someone was onto him, but then it would raise a whole host of other questions. Who was it? Again, for what purpose would they do this to him? How did they know he was a wizard? After all, he'd been incredibly, almost rigidly, careful about using any form of magic.

This situation was growing more and more complicated with every passing second.

Which is why he focused on something completely and utterly unrelated to Edward and his family. His own situation and living in Forks.

Once he was thrown out by his parents, they'd given him five thousand dollars, and the key to a small one-bedroom house they owned across the country if he never so much as showed his face again. He'd been living comfortably, but the money was almost half gone, and he wasn't the type of person to just sit and wait for the money to dry up before he did something about it. He'd resigned himself to looking for a job when he first got here, and had been putting it off for as long as he could stand it. That time had come, and he was going to plaster his name all over town until he got a callback.

* * *

><p>Lying in bed that night, doing some light reading by candlelight, Richie mused on the earlier events of the day. A callback actually came a lot quicker than he thought it would've. In fact, the entire thing came together a lot quicker than he thought it would, since he actually had a job. Granted, it was a part time position working as a cashier at a gas station on the edge of town, but it was better than nothing. Maybe something outside of school would focus his attentions away from a certain bedroom-haired male at school. At least in a more than friendly way.<p>

One could hope, right?

In truth, even while applying for the jobs, he found himself thinking of the lanky, amber-eyed man. Wondering if he'd like the position he was in? Would he come and visit? How would he react when he told him? But, then again, those were things a friend would worry about with another friend. Or, at least that's what the boy was trying to force himself into thinking. And, all things considered, it was actually going well. At least he thought so. He hadn't daydreamed about Edward's lips since going out. Hadn't thought about what they'd feel like pressed against his own. Hadn't thought of him shirtless. Or what those amber eyes looked like first thing in the morning. Or if his hair looked just as messy when he rolled out of bed than it did at any other point in the day.

Just friends. Right.

* * *

><p><em>"Indecisiveness is like living on a roller coaster. You go side to side, up and down, even upside down and right side up, but always you end up right back where you started from. The question is whether you choose to step off the roller coaster or choose to go for yet another ride."<em>

Esme's words continued to echo through Edward's mind as he sat in a small, but comfortable, chair in the dimly lit room, amber eyes taking in every little thing about the space. The bed sat in the center of the room, large enough to house two people, but was currently only housing one form, huddled under the blankets. A television stand stood directly to his right, with a DVD player sitting on top of it. Next to the television sat a cardboard box, opened and housing a mixture of CDs and DVDs. He'd have to thumb through that next time he was here. A small lamp sat on a dresser directly across from him, as did a small collection of various ChapSticks and body sprays. An alarm sat on the nightstand next to the bed, blinking the time 3:42AM back at him as the candle continue to burn, letting off a scent of cinnamon and vanilla that the vampire would imagine as pleasing to some humans. A book lay next to the bed, half open, clearly having slipped out of the slumbering boy's hand. The vampire had gently removed his glasses without waking him soon after he had arrived, setting them on the dresser before admiring the young human's face in slumber. It struck him just how astoundingly young the male looked, compared to how he was during the day, as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he went to sleep at night.

It made Edward want to know just what that weight was. And, if he had his way, he'd find out what it was. He's wasn't going to be indecisive anymore.

He vowed that he'd be laying in that bed with him, holding his adorable boy in his arms, and making Alice's vision come true.


	11. This Is a Mistake

_**Chapter 10 - This Is a Mistake**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing but the storyline, mistakes, Richie, and two new characters I'm about to introduce.**_

The following morning started innocently enough. Get up at 6:45AM, shower, grab a quick breakfast, brush his teeth, grab his things for school, and then head out the door. Though the air was gloomy, as it usually was in Forks, Richie found the day to be more uplifting than most of the others he'd endured. He was starting work tonight, he was going to go into school with his head held high and show no outward form of nervousness about what occurred yesterday, and he had official friends in Alice and Edward.

Who were waiting outside his small house in Edward's silver Volvo, bringing him up short. The shock must have been on his face, because he saw Edward smirk a bit from the driver's seat, Alice waving from the back. "What are you two-?"

"We said we would drive you." Edward reminded him gently, though his small smirk was still present, his amber eyes glowing just a bit at seeing the male again. "Did you forget? Or were you going to be stubborn and walk, anyway?" His amber eyes followed the boy's every move from when he started walking, around the front of his car, to the passenger seat, where he opened the door and slid in. And offered the vampire no verbal response, other than a light dusting of pink to his pale skin.

Alice remained silent from the back seat, not resolving to save her brother's mate just yet. Especially since she knew Edward knew the answer as well as she did, after all, she'd had a vision of the human boy leaving his home and walking to school about a half hour after he had gotten back from watching over Richie as he slept. She knew her brother wanted his mate to admit himself.

Though, his silence already did such a thing, Edward wasn't going to stop toying with him until he actually said it. And, because he also knew he'd see that _lovely_ little blush of his the more he pressed. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Richie replied in return, trying to act as if he were being defiant, but Edward could see right through that. He was just stalling. His smirk grew a bit, just because he found it so endearingly charming that the human boy would be stubborn like that, putting more strain on himself than accepting a ride from him and sister, all because they would be going out of their way to help him. it was a gesture that was so..._thoughtful_. And also somewhat maddening.

"You never answered me." The male vampire remarked with a chuckle.

He didn't need to read his mate's mind to know that he had him beat. To know that the way he looked around the car, grasping for _something_ to completely change the subject, to looking in the mirror to Alice for any possible help, to which she just grinned cheerfully and offered no help, to finally just sighing and seeing those chocolate eyes meet his. "Yes Edward, I was going to walk. Happy now?"

That small petulant look on his mate's face was utterly adorable, like a child getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. And he had to resist every impulse to lean across the divider and kiss it away, feel that frown turn into that smile he adored so against his cool lips. Instead, he just turned his amused smirk into a playful smile, and remarked, "Why yes. I am happy, now that you've answered me."

That worked just as well, because the corners of the boy's mouth turned upward, as his eyes rolled skyward behind his glasses. "Oh, well, good. My good deed is done for the day, now I can go back to bed and sleep."

"Did you not sleep well?" Alice asked him in concern from the backseat. She knew Edward had arrived at Richie's sometime after two in the morning last night, finding his mate asleep upon when he'd arrived, with a book in his hand and his glasses askew on his face. However, what had gone on before that, as well as the time the boy had actually fallen asleep, she didn't know. And now both vampires were looking at the male with concern.

"Not really." Richie replied honestly, yawning a bit and missing Edward's hands clench on the steering wheel when he did so.

_Don't think about him doing that first thing in the morning._

Edward simply ignored Alice's thought, because she was already too late to stop it from happening. Already the male vampire's mind was plagued with thoughts of the human next to him waking up securely in his arms with a yawn. How it would feel to run his hand through the dark hair on the top of his head as he slept. Watching those warm chocolate eyes take in the light of the world for the first time in the morning. And then take in him, laying next to him. Would those eyes melt upon landing on him? Would he smile and greet him with words or a kiss? Was he as stubborn to wake up in the morning as when he was during the day?

He didn't know the answers to any of those questions. But, he most certainly wanted to find out.

"Why didn't you sleep well?" Edward asked of his mate, his own expression concerned, though far more than Alice's.

As the human boy let off a sigh, the amber-eyed man could almost see the gears turning in his head, before he just gave up. "I...uh...got a job..."

That response wasn't anything the vampire siblings were expecting, and Edward wanted to question _why_ he would keep something like that from them. However, Alice beat him to it.. "How is that a bad thing? Jobs are a good thing, especially for someone our age! It shows responsibility!" The age comment made Edward smirk. _If only he knew how old we were._

"I...didn't want to tell you in case it didn't work out..." That comment wiped the smirk off of Edward's face immediately,

Because his mate's voice was so small, so full of insecurity and doubt that they would judge him for that small fact, if he would get fired or be unable to handle it. That they would look at him any differently for such a thing that he wanted to kiss his mate's lips until they were bruised, and then kiss his cheeks, eyes, nose, and anywhere else so he could take away the pain. And he spoke up, desperately trying to lift Richie's spirits, _never_ wanting to hear that kind of doubt in the boy's voice again. Especially about himself.

"Listen to me." Richie's head turned to look at him, his eyes slightly wide behind his glasses, because there was a quality to his voice he'd never heard before, he was sure of it. "Richie, I don't care if you fail at this, or if you happen to be their best employee. The fact that you're trying is good enough for me, and if it would come down to it, Alice or I would be more than willing to help you."

"Esme too!" Alice chirped from the backseat.

The addition only seemed to fuel Edward's fire, and he'd never been more thankful for traffic at the stop sign that lead to school, because he turned to his mate, his amber eyes looking straight into the chocolate ones looking back at him. "Don't be afraid to tell us anything about yourself. We're not here to judge, only to help." His right hand left the steering wheel, gently gripping the left of his mate's, fingers entwining. "Especially me."

Richie couldn't look away from the two pools of amber staring back at him. It was like he was hypnotized, simply taken over by Edward's stare. "O-O...Okay..."

The vampire smiled at the agreement, as well as the boy's stutter coming out to play. "Alright." To punctuate his statement, he gave the human's left hand a quick and reassuring squeeze, before moving to take his hand back.

And nearly grinning so hard his face split when he felt Richie resist the movement.

"When does your shift start? And when do you get out?" The question was directed at Richie, but Edward could both see and feel Alice's eyes on their entwined hands.

"Uh...I get out at...eleven o' clock." Richie replied honestly, though he spared her only a half a glance, gaze still locked with her smiling brother's.

"I'll be waiting, then." The amber-eyed man promised him, squeezing his human's hand gently, as he pulled into the stream of traffic, waiting to get into the parking lot of Forks High.

* * *

><p>"Okay, and then you press this button for cash, this button for credit, and then the drawer will either open automatically or just hit cash if it's a cash payment..."<p>

He really wanted to tell her to _shut it_. He'd heard it since he'd walked in, and he was getting a pretty good idea on what to do with it, what with customers that came in and went to his register. However, his coworker Jillian was increasingly getting on his nerves, because she felt the need to explain it _every single time_ someone came in and he made a mistake. It was only his _first day_ for crap's sake! He wasn't going to get it all in one day. Or night, as the case was now. And right now, he was actively hoping for a customer. Any customer would do. _Seriously. Just to shut her up._

And, almost like his thoughts had made it happen, the door opened. Revealing a woman, definitely older than him by at least seven years, wearing heels that clicked against the tile floor, expensive dress pants that looked like they cost more than he'd see working here for months, a sweater that only cost just as much as her pants, and a scarf that looked so soft it'd disintegrate if exposed to enough water. Her hair framed her face beautifully, just a few shades lighter than Edward's and with more of a strawberry tint to it than a bronze. Though, her skin was equally as pale as the other male's, and her eyes weren't amber, but green. Though it was never a color of green he'd even seen before, it was still just as intriguing as Edward's eye color.

"Hi! Can we help you with something?" Jillian's bright voice brought him out of staring at this woman...whoever she was.

However, her eyes were only for the male in front of her, acting as if Jillian hadn't spoken. "What coffee do you recommend?" Her voice was low, almost seductive in it's timbre.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, because..._hello, he was gay and crushing on the mysterious hot guy in school_...Richie spoke up. "Um, french vanilla. Or the white chocolate caramel."

Offering him a smile on what seemed to be an ordinarily icy face, she wandered off to the coffee machine, going about doing what she needed to do. Next to him, Jillian looked ready for her head to explode, even more so as she continued to be ignored by this intriguing customer.

"And, thirty-five on pump one." She added on, setting the largest coffee cup on the counter, along with a fifty dollar bill.

Mindlessly, almost numb, Richie entered the information, going to give this woman her change. "Here you-"

A cool hand on his wrist stopped him. "Keep it. For doing a good job of ringing me, Amelia Chase, up." Letting his wrist go, she pulled back with a smile. "I'll see you again, little boy. You can count on that." With a smile, and a mock-toast of her coffee, she was off with the clicking of those heels, leaving a gobsmacked Jillian and Richie behind.

_Wait until Edward hears about this!_

* * *

><p><em>"I won't stop until he's mine."<em>

Those were the words Edward had said to Alice just a single day ago. When he vowed that he wouldn't stop pursuing the human boy until he had worn him down. But, there was just one problem with that.

Richie was being stubborn and having none of that.

First, it was this morning, trying to leave when he clearly knew he and Alice would be there to pick him up from his home. And, it was now, as he sped from the already-dark gas station off towards the human's home. As endearing as he was, if he continued to pull this stuff, Edward would be losing his patience. He already slightly was, thanks to being unable to hear his mate's thoughts to ascertain where he was.

It was the oddest feeling for the amber-eyed man. He knew on some level that he should give Richie some time and space, but he couldn't bring himself to _want_ to. What he wanted was his mate to know just how he felt about him. To stop avoiding him because he wasn't used to the kindness him and his family were showing. And there was only one way to get the human boy to listen to him. Sit him down and have his say.

Now. If only Edward could find his evasive human.

* * *

><p>Richie groaned lowly, wanting to walk to one of the nearest trees and bang his head repeatedly against it.<p>

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

It was obvious that his attempts to isolate himself from Edward for a day, or even just a short time, hadn't gone well, at all. In fact, the tall, amber-eyed male was on his mind the entire time he was at work, even the woman who had tipped him generously had reminded him of him. And now, trying to avoid the lanky male giving him a ride was only going to serve him more grief, because he should have realized Edward was going to come looking for him.

_Or he'll be parked in front of your house._

With another moan, the boy shoved the heels of his hands into his eyes, relishing that he saw stars when he did so, because that helped to clear his head and give himself something to focus on other than the bedroom-haired male that had been occupying his thoughts ever since school had ended. He had wished he'd grabbed a Dr. Pepper from work before he left, because it might very well calm his nerves now. Because he had the strange sense that he should be looking over his shoulder, His magic was even roiling inside him, almost making him feel jumpy and edgy. But, _why_? Why would his magic be jumpy about Edward?

"Get in."

He nearly fell flat on his face when he looked over, and saw Edward and his silver Volvo matching the pace of his walk almost perfectly. _Because he was right next to you, you idiot._ Staring at the lanky male like a slack jawed moron, he couldn't form any sort of words, especially when he saw the vampire's expression. And, because of it, he did exactly as he was told.

* * *

><p>Edward sped toward his house, making what would be a five minute drive in less than half. It seemed that no sooner had Richie gotten into his car, then he had gotten out, but this time, the amber-eyed man wasn't so willing to let his mate out of his sight. At least not without a serious talking to.<p>

"Richie, may I come in?" The question wasn't something to be ignored. His mate needed to be talked to. And, one way or another, he'd get that done tonight.


	12. Going Somewhere?

_**Chapter 11 - Going Somewhere?**_

_**Author's Notes: I own nothing, save for the storyline, mistakes, and Richie.**_

_God, I love the way he says my name._ That was literally the first thought that came into the human's head when he heard Edward speak up from behind him. And then the euphoria dropped away just as quickly, as he registered the amber-eyed man's question. Every synapse was firing, telling him that this was a bad idea, not to let him in, because nothing good could have come of it. He wanted to talk, and it was clear about what.

Yet, it seemed none of that mattered, because when he looked into those amber orbs, it all flew out of his head. Every protestation, every negative thought. And he responded, with a simple nod and a quiet, "Yes."

The both of them entered the small, but cozy home, Edward closing the door behind them softly, though for the human male, it seemed as loud as a gunshot. And he stepped toward the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to look at the other male. "Would you like something?"

The vampire shook his head in response to his mate's question. "No, thank you for the offer, though."

Richie just nodded his head quietly in return, before going to the kitchen and pulling out a bottle of Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator. He turned to grab a glass, only to nearly collide with the other male, who had already procured a glass for him._ Funny...I didn't even hear him follow me in, or open the cabinet..._

The silence was awkward, becoming stifling, because things were never this quiet between the two of them. There was always some form of chatter going on, about the smallest and almost insignificant of topics. Favorite foods, musical debates over what Edward classified as 'real' and what wasn't, or something Alice may have brought up the night before but didn't get a chance to mention, they could talk about anything and everything and never seem to get bored. Now, though, anyone watching them would think they were forced to spend time together instead of willingly choosing to do so.

And Edward was the first to break the silence, clearing his throat to get his mate's attention. "You seem distressed about something, Richie. Would it be inappropriate to inquire?"

The human, for his part, could only shake his head, unable to actually reply due to his mouth being full of soda. Though, once he swallowed, he was able to actually speak. "No, I'm fine. Really, just working out some personal issues, that's all."

Edward could tell that was a lie, even without listening to one word of his mate's thoughts. He wasn't making eye contact, instead choosing to look at almost everything but him, and he raised a perfectly sculpted brow in curiosity, interested in how Richie would try and get out of this. "What kind of personal stuff?"

Richie gaped, unable to reply for a few short seconds as he felt color rising to his cheeks at Edward simply raising an eyebrow. Oh god, tell me he doesn't know... "Just...p-personal things. That's all." The white lie was weak, his voice cracked, and he stuttered.

_I have you now._ A look of irritation, almost bordering on anger, now painted Edward's face as he crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at the fidgety form of his mate. "It's not personal stuff. You're hiding from something."

The words were spoken with such assurance, as well as force, that Richie couldn't help but look up at Edward's amber eyes, the tone catching him entirely off guard. Since when was he so sure of himself...especially when it came to something he was feeling. Coughing out a surprised laugh, Richie tried to rein the conversation back under his control. "What would I have to hide away from, Edward? It's not school, nor is it associating with anyone in town."

The amber-eyed man simply huffed out a breath, his frown deepening a bit at his human mate's stubbornness, his annoyance making his eyes glow a bit in the dim lighting. "Then, it's not some_thing_ you're hiding from. It's some_one_."

_Fuck it all. I can't get out of that one without blatantly lying._ Though, he chose to go on the defensive, letting an annoyed scowl come to his face that was almost common whenever he thought about his parents now. "Well, then, who would it be, Edward? Since you seem to know so much about my thoughts and the actions behind them."

Something danced in Edward's amber eyes, as the smallest of smile appeared on the other male's face. It was a look that was almost hungry. Predatory.

For him.

"Well, there are only a few people it could be, truly. After all, you don't know very many people here." His arms loosened a bit, but didn't uncross, as he leaned against the counter behind him, appearing deceptively relaxed. "It can't be Jessica. And I doubt it's her band of defenders." A smirk tugged at one corner of the amber-eyed man's lips. "You'll more than likely take care of them yourself when the chance arises." The wizard didn't even have the time to think about how Edward knew, as the larger male had just taken a step away from the counter, walking over toward the door a bit, but still facing him. The realization caused something to swirl in his stomach.

Because Edward's voice was changing in pitch. To one Richie had never heard before. One that was low, frighteningly and also enticingly, so personal and almost primal that it caused Richie to swallow and take a step backward.

"That really only leaves my family." Edward added, the tip of an index finger dragging along the countertop, just before he turned to full face the human boy. "You don't consider Alice or Jasper threatening at all, so it can't be either one of them." His other index finger came to his chin, tapping it as if he were truly thinking this entire situation over and not just toying with the human before him. "Emmett's strong, but there's no reason to fear him." Edward's amber eyes sparkled a bit now, as if with glee that he was dismantling his mate's entire reasoning for being stubborn and dragging it all out.

_Which he is._ The realization came to Richie just as quickly, as he realized Edward wasn't just leisurely strolling around the kitchen. He had positioned himself between his mate and the door, thereby ensuring there was no way he was going to get out of this without talking to him.

"Rosalie is dismissive, but I can tell that you aren't the type to care about that sort of thing at all." Edward's voice was light, despite the smirk on his face, giving away his amusement at toying with his human mate.

Richie just squeezed his fists tightly, feeling his magic crackle a bit at his fingertips, as his emotions started to get the best of him. All encompassing insecurity enveloped him, as he felt every shred of control he had slip away at the cool, pale hands of this near perfect stranger that wasn't human. He wasn't used to this - any of this. And he was asking himself why it was that he now found himself in a situation like this.

_Oh. Yeah. Because you're a **fucking idiot and invited him inside!**_

Though there was space between the two of them, he felt as if the room was closing in, making the space seem smaller and smaller with every step Edward took toward him. "So, that really just leaves _me_." The amber-eyed man's smirk only grew, and it just wasn't _fair_. How he was standing there, looking far too attractive in a grey t-shirt that hugged him in all the right places and asset-showing black pants, in Richie's tiny home and saying these sorts of confusing, mind boggling things to him. "Now. Why would you ever be afraid of me, Richie?"

Damn him and that smirk, the way it pulled just a little wider, as if expecting the answer to be nothing but a lie, amber eyes bright. Like he was entirely amused at making Richie squirm, because he knew the real truth and was enjoying himself by listening to whatever story his mind could come up with. But, Richie wasn't going to give him the answer he wanted. He was still stubborn to a fault, and wasn't going to hand over control that easily.

"There _isn't_ a reason to be afraid of you. That's why I'm _not_!" His voice cracked once more, and he knew the mask of indifference he wore was cracked, traces that would be noticeable to Edward and his keen eyesight. "And you're insane if you think otherwise." It was a lie, once again, because he really was scared, though not of the other male himself. Of getting hurt again. He'd had enough of that in his relatively young life already, and especially in such a short time. It wasn't the best reply he'd come up with, but maybe there was still enough of the self-conscious Edward in the other male that it would at least give him some sort of pause.

But, this wasn't the self-conscious Edward. This one was on a mission and hell-bent on completing it, no matter much of a roundabout fashion it would require because of his mate's stubbornness and denial. "When it comes to you, I guess that I am."

_What?!_ For as close as they gotten, how much tension was between them, the feeling's he ignited in Richie's very inexperienced heart, a statement like that just didn't make any sort of sense. One that was that personal. That _intimate_. As if they'd known each other for years, instead of just days.

And that statement threw the human male entirely off whack. "Look, Edward, it was just one day. Not even one day. A-And it's also not your concern with what I do...I-I don't - you're n-not - I don't belong to you."

A growl abruptly pierced the stillness of the room, as the taller male advanced on the shorter.

_Fuck._

That reaction was definitely _not_ what he intended.

Something locked in the wizard's throat, and he instantly regretted his choice of words as he backed away just as slowly, trying to desperately maintain the distance between him and Edward.

* * *

><p>Richie didn't think he belonged to Edward.<p>

Edward was determined to prove him wrong on that.

Warning bells were exploding in the back of his mind, telling him to ignore the monster, the vampiric side of him that he'd given free reign to almost the entirety of the exchange, but he disregarded each and every one of them. Because he'd stand by the promise he made to himself. He wouldn't hurt his mate - he'd never do such a thing. But, it was about time that beautiful little bundle of nerves, confusion, and stubbornness in front of him understood exactly what he meant to the amber-eyed vampire.

On top of that, Richie was _really_ cute when he was scared.

* * *

><p>Edward really didn't seem to be in the mood for any sort of conversation anymore, especially if that growling was anything to go by. Deep breaths pulled that grey shirt even tighter against his chest, showing of a muscle definition that was horridly distracting to Richie when he really needed to concentrate on backing up. There was an even bigger problem with that, though.<p>

With just three more steps, Richie found himself pressed between the refrigerator at the wall it rested against, effectively trapping him in a corner and leaving him with nowhere to go. And Edward looked about as receptive to stopping as he was to talking. And those amber eyes bore into him, silently daring him to move, resist, try _something_ to combat Edward, and also knowing full well he wouldn't.

That was bad. _Very bad_.

Knowing he had a small window of opportunity to defend himself, the human male did the only thing he could think of, regardless of the consequences. He tried to cast the very same protections spell that kept him protected from the rain just a day or two ago, though on a much larger scale, since he was trying to protect himself from another human.

What came out was anything but.

Because it was almost like a hand grasped in the front of Edward's tight shirt and pulled him forward with lightning speed. The amber-eyed man's arms landed heavily against the wall and the front of the refrigerator, fencing the wizard in with his taller body entirely. This was it. His magic had done it now, teaming up with the vampiric beast in Edward to outright _force_ them together.

If Richie wasn't so terrified, he would've outright sighed.

As it was, he ended up gasping in surprise as he realized just what had happened. His magic had yanked Edward toward him, hence why his magic went all crazy whenever the other male was around. It wanted them together. And he had no knowledge as to why anyone's magic would do something like that, make them gravitate toward another person.

And then, there was nothing but Edward, as Richie's gasp had drawn the other male's cool scent into his lungs. Just as quickly as his thoughts bottomed out, his body went into overdrive city. He felt as if he were hit with a second wind, while also being out of breath. Some parts of him were unbearably hot, while others were shuddering as if he were cold. Some parts were awake and throbbing, others were slack and unresponsive.

His knees suddenly gave out, one of the parts slack and unresponsive, and his hands gripped at whatever they could find for purchase, without a thought as to what they'd grab. His left hand went to Edward's right shoulder, his right went into the other male's messy bedroom hair. He had barely a second to remember it was softer than he remembered before his body pitched forward...only for a chest as firm as the wall press into his own just as quickly, with another low growl.

Two arms held him in place against that marvelously hard chest, as he looked up and saw amber swirling above him. And it was all he could see now that they were so close to one another.

_Eyes aren't supposed to do that._ The thought was brief and fleeting, because he felt warm breath mingling with his own, the strength in the muscled body pressing into him, the slight chill of the other male's skin, teasing and taunting him with the simultaneous warmth and chill, making him start to tremble as everything he was feeling started to come to a head, scrambling from where he shoved it all down.

And then, finally, he felt that contact on his lips. Firm, but gentle, that more than anything showed him that, _yes_, Edward felt the exact same way about him. That the amber-eyed man was wanting him as much as he wanted him.

The whimper he let off as he felt a cool tongue pry his lips open was beyond his control, his body focusing just on autopilot as his mind had completely shut down and needed to reboot now that this glorious male was kissing him. There was a feeling of ecstasy, a slight touch of misery that he'd been missing out on this because of his own idiocy, and the realization that Edward was being almost..._loving_...with him, because of his gentleness. The wizard inhaled a bit, and Edward's scent only made him arch his back a bit, his hand tangling in the bronze silk even more as he pulled the taller male in closer. And Edward responded in kind, deepening the kiss even more and ripping a moan from Richie's throat that vibrated down his, making him shudder. The wizard hadn't realized just _how much_ he'd wanted this, how much he wanted to feel Edward against him, thanks to his own denial.

Then, all at once, it was over, as the warmth on his lips was replaced with a stilling cold. And the chill came not from Edward's breath, either.


End file.
